West Lafayette teacher is a finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year

Ellie Minogue, a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Klondike Elementary School, is one of the three finalists for Indiana Teacher of the Year, an award that has been given out by the Indiana Department of Education for the past 60 years.

“It means the world to me,” Minogue said about being a finalist in an email to the Exponent.

Minogue credited her students, families, colleagues and friends for supporting her through the process, according to a press release from the Tippecanoe School corporation.

“I believe that teaching is an art and that everyday I go to work to practice my craft. I am always thinking about it, studying it, trying new things, fixing old broken things, collaborating with my peers. Getting into the top three has shown me that following my heart and being true to who I am and how I work was the right move.”

But it's her students who give her the motivation to hone her craft.

“The best part of teaching is- hands down- my students,” she said. “I really don’t think I could be convinced that there’s anything better than spending 6 hours a day with a bunch of kids whose favorite things are asking questions about the world and laughing about farts.”

Though the potty humor makes her smile today, it wasn’t always the path she saw for herself.

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher in college (but) I did not actually start out in teaching,” she said. “I was in pharmacy school and miserable. After a good amount of soul searching, I realized that working with kids is what makes me happy.”

The winner of the competition will be decided in “late September,” according to the press release.