Nominated by: Elsa Kim

Ms. Vicky is the most exceptional teacher our child has had in three different elementary schools in different states. She is a Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher who provides services for every student who is deaf or hard of hearing in our district, PreK through High School. She works tirelessly and cheerfully to empower children to advocate for their disability needs, express themselves to their peers and teachers, and feel proud and confident in themselves. Our daughter has worked with Ms. Vicky for three years now, and has transformed from being embarrassed and in denial about having a hearing loss disability, to being proud of her abilities and in charge of her technology. Ms. Vicky is often pulled for extra duties - when a sign interpreter can't be hired, she goes and interprets for sign language only students. When a new student is added, she works to enfold them in the current groups with enthusiasm. She is exceptional in her field - we have worked with many different Special Education teachers, and she is truly the only one we have worked with who feels both fully qualified and expresses love of her job, which makes our family feel so supported. She is also a single mom, and has stayed a long time teacher in our district despite low pay. If we could give her an enormous salary bonus, we would.