Teacher of the Year

Lozetta Hayden

Lozetta Hayden considers teaching her calling, and students at Castle Hills quickly learn she is passionate about her job and them. “My secret to reaching students is to captivate and motivate them and make them adopt The Power of Yet.  I do this by being firm, fair, and fun (in that order).  Students realize that rules benefit the collective, everyone gets what he or she deserves, and learning can be quite engaging,” she says. Hayden, a teacher of seven years, is widely known for taking “out of the box” approaches to educating children and loves to reward her students with outings outside of school at places where they and their families can just have fun. All five of her children grew up in the district, and she says three discovered their own passions thanks to the academic and social experiences they had with outstanding teachers who still keep in touch with them. Hayden makes a point to stay in touch with her students once they leave Castle Hills saying, “I want my students to remember how it felt to embrace a growth mindset and want them to continue implementing strategies I taught them during our time together.  My greatest desire is for them to know I believe in them and that they will always be part of Mrs. Hayden’s Crew.  Lastly, I pray they feed educational curiosity and never stop learning!” Hayden is thankful to the support she gets from family, friends, and even strangers who help her reach and teach her students, some with words of encouragement, others who offer supplies or sponsor trips. “I am because WE are!” she says.