FORT COLLINS - Her principal describes her as boisterous. Her students say her teaching methods are unorthodox. And the parents say, whatever she's doing, it's working!
Meet Lisa Owsley, one of our 9Teacher Who Care winners.
If you look through the window of Mrs. Owsley's room you'll likely catch her singing, dancing and laughing.
She's the special education teacher at Poudre High School in Fort Collins.
"I think having a really positive energy in the classroom leads to success out of the classroom," Mrs. Owsley said.
Her passion and energy is obvious, and she has a way of making everyone of her students feel loved and appreciated.
"She's the best teacher. I think she teaches you things that you could never learn in any other class. It's different than any other class. It taught me how to value people to be a better person and how to love with all my heart," Ayushi Kaul, a Poudre High School student, said.
But Mrs. Owsley's work goes beyond just her class. In the three years she's been at Poudre High School, she has brought several Unified Special Olympics sports to the school.
She brought adaptive music to her students and wrote an innovation grant to secure funding for instrumental needs.
"The most important thing is that my students are able to be happy and feel like they are a contributing member of society. We all want that. We all want to feel wanted. I want them to be happy, and that's what's important," Owsley said.
She doesn't see disability. She just sees potential and believes with all her heart that her students can do anything. She's their biggest champion.
"I never have the Sunday blues. I'm always excited to come to school," Mrs. Owsley said.
"She's such a weirdo. She just makes you laugh, and that's part of her quirkiness, and that's why she deserves this award," Kathy McNay, the Poudre High School principal, said.
Congrats to Lisa Owsley.
If you would like to nominate a teacher, visit: http://on9news.tv/1HJ9ZhI.
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