Maize teacher Crystal May recognized as best of the best

Statewide recognition for being a great teacher is a memorable accomplishment. Being recognized as one of the five-best teachers nationally puts Crystal May in a whole new category.

May, a fourth-grade teacher at Pray-Woodman Elementary in Maize, was named one of five winners nationally of the Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence. An award and $10,000 prize will come to her in Washington, D.C., in February, where one of the five will receive an additional $25,000.

That’s pretty heady stuff, but May has already been recognized as one of Kansas’ premier teachers. She was a finalist for Kansas Teacher of the Year last year, and she and a colleague received a $10,000 grant to help her school’s teachers better understand grade-level math standards.

There aren’t enough national, state and local awards to recognize the number of outstanding teachers educating Kansas children, but students in May’s fourth-grade classroom will spend a year with the best of the best.

This story was originally published September 13, 2017 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Maize teacher Crystal May recognized as best of the best."