High 5: Special Education Teacher Goes Above And Beyond
Feb 12, 2019, 6:40 AM | Updated: 8:42 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — We have a special place in our hearts here at KSL for teachers, but there’s one group of teachers we particularly love and want to recognize: special education teachers.
There’s one in particular we want to highlight: special education teacher Cory Norton from West High School.
We caught up with Mr. Norton’s special education class in the food court one afternoon at West High. He thought we were just there getting video, but little did he know we were there to recognize the outstanding work he does with his students — and also his dedication to them.
“It takes a certain person, right?” asked Lori Prichard.
“It does,” Norton said. “Not everyone is cut out for it. However, I feel like I’m the luckiest teacher in the world.”
“Above all, he cares so much about the kids. He’s an amazing boss,” classroom assistant Brittaney Cooke said.
That’s a theme we kept hearing.
“He’s a great boss,” said Samantha Cardenas, another classroom assistant. “I wouldn’t want another.”
“It’s just amazing some of the things that he does and the passion that he has working for the kids,” said Phillip Harrison with America First Credit Union.
It’s because of that passion for his students, his dedication to his work and support of those around him that we felt Norton deserved a KSL High 5.
There was more than just a High 5, though.
“On behalf of America First Credit Union, we’d like to award you with $1,000 to be used in your classroom,” Harrison said, “to further the work that you do and give back to thank you for the work that you do as an educator, especially with special education. So thank you, Mr. Norton.”
“It’s going to mean a lot to us,” Norton said. “And it’ll mean a lot to my students to be able to use this money.”
He said he’ll use the $1,000 for special outings for his kids — and supplies that sometimes special education classrooms need.
“There’s a lot of things that we take for granted as for some of the needs that they have,” Harrison said. “Things like diapers, wipes and gloves that we wouldn’t normally think of in the classroom.”
It’s more funding for a classroom that Norton gives so much to but gets so much more from.
“I learn more from my students than they learn from me,” he said.
