Judy Van Duzen, a reading specialist at Raymond Elementary School, was nominated by a fellow district staff member to be in the “Help Write Their Life Stories” Contest, which honors teachers who inspire their students to read and write more. She recently was notified she was among the top 20 finalists in the contest. Pictured is Van Duzen, left, helping second grader Colton Jackson, right, on his work.
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A local educator has made it onto the list of top 20 finalists for the “Help Write Their Life Stories” Contest.
Judy Van Duzen, of Marysville, is a reading specialist at Raymond Elementary School, and has been a fixture there for 37 years. The contest she was nominated in highlights teachers who help inspire their students to read and write more.
Van Duzen said she was nominated by the district’s K-6 literacy coordinator, Steven Griffin, in 2018. She said it came to her as a surprise as the building’s principal told her about the nomination the Monday before Thanksgiving as part of “the good news.”
“When my principal shows up and says I have good news and bad news, and she gave me the good news, I cried,” Van Duzen said. “This is very humbling. It hit Facebook, and I didn’t know I had so many people who knew who I was.”
After she had prepared the necessary paperwork, she was notified she made it to being one of the top 20 finalists in the contest on Jan. 2.
Van Duzen said she felt she was nominated for the way she implemented new ways to encourage children to read in class, such as a book rental program and a readers club.
She said she felt when Griffin nominated her, she believed he was inspired by the way she taught. However, she sees herself as simply doing her job and the best she can.
“It’s a little embarrassing at some points, because I don’t see myself as anybody special,” she said. “I see myself as a teacher, doing exactly what all teachers do and are suppose to do. You’re suppose to do what’s best for kids and that’s what I’ve done.”
Van Duzen said her career at Raymond has highlighted her dedication to students, and that she’s still learning from them too.
Contest finalists receive a gift basket, a $250 grant for books and reading materials and $250 in gift cards.
Griffin said when he was making his nomination for the contest, he was inspired by a lot of things Van Duzen does for her students. He said he nominated Van Duzen specifically because her teaching was “an art form.”
“Judy, without question, has been very important on kids learning to read and loving it,” Griffin said. “When I learned about the…award, she was the first person to come to mind to receive it. When I read the criteria for the award, I immediately thought of Judy.”
Van Duzen said she has been in Marysville for most of her life, and wanted to become an elementary school teacher since she was in first grade, “and never changed my mind.” She graduated from Marysville High School in 1977, and started teaching in 1981.
“We are blessed to have her for 30 years in the district,” Griffin said. “This is just a way to honor her.”