Surprise! West Tennessee teacher receives one of the highest honors in education

Alexa Guynes didn’t expect to win an award when she walked into her school gymnasium Thursday but that’s exactly happened.Surrounded by her 5^th grade students at Germantown Municipal Schools' Dogwood Elementary, Guynes was surprised to hear her name read as the winner of the prestigious Milken Educator Award.  It’s one of the highest honors in education and has been referred to as the “Oscars of Teaching” by Teacher Magazine.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKuk2Qv-Z9Y&t=8s[/embed]“I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was sitting right there as a kindergartner,” said Guynes to a crowd of students after receiving the award. “This is my passion.  This is what I want to do. I love my babies.  I love my children.  I love coming to work every day. There are hard days, you all make it hard sometimes, but I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) says Guynes received the award because of her service as a leader in her community, school, and district and her work ethic, dedication to the profession, and willingness to always put her students first.The award recognizes the 5^th grade teacher’s innovative work creating lessons, like her “Book a Day” project, that's designed to bring learning to life for her students. In the “Book a Day” project, Guynes starts each class by reading a book aloud to fully engage all students in reflective and analytical discussions.“Tennessee is home to exceptional educators and our newest Milken Educator Award recipient was selected for modeling excellence in education,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “Congratulations to fifth-grade teacher Alexa Guynes on her well-deserved recognition for such impactful service to Tennessee’s students and the educator profession.”"Ms. Guynes demonstrates unwavering care for every child in her classroom,” said Jason Manuel, Director of Schools, Germantown Municipal School District. "Dogwood Elementary School has an incredible culture and she is a leader amongst her colleagues. Ms. Guynes makes learning fun and has a heart for students. She helps to challenge young minds, but also helps to grow her students as people. We could not be prouder to have Ms. Guynes represent Germantown Municipal School District on a national stage as a Milken Educator."Established in 1987, the Milken National Educator Awards were created to attract, reward, and retain the highest caliber professionals in the education profession. The award recognizes early-to-mid career teachers and principals for both their impressive achievements and the promise of future accomplishments.Recipients are honored with $25,000 in unrestricted awards.Since Tennessee joined the Milken Educator Award program in 1992, seventy-two Tennessee educators have been awarded a total of $1.8 million.“I am just so grateful to be honored and to be recognized but really this whole school and this community deserves it as well," said Guynes.