This year, Mr. Aaron King was awarded Teacher of the Year.

At the beginning of his career, his pursuit wasn’t really to be in the classroom. It was to be on the football field.

“Initially, I started teaching because in the end, I wanted to coach,” King said. “I felt like being out on the football field and basketball court. [I felt it would] be the best place for me to build those relationships with students and be a role model, something for them to look up too.”

Once he got in the classroom, his love for teaching made him stay, allowing him to be just as effective in the classroom than on the field.

“When I first started teaching, it was hard for me to find coaching positions, so I just ended up [staying] in the classroom,” King said. “I found out I could do that in my classroom a lot easier than thought.”

A teacher cannot convince students to learn if the teacher doesn’t like what they are teaching. Any of his students can say that King has fun in class.

“A way I encourage class participation is through my own motivation,” King said. “I’m pretty upbeat and energetic in the classroom. I am genuinely interested in what I’m teaching, which helps them to be interested in it too.”

King is a government and economics teacher. Especially this year, a challenge that students may face is the pace at which the economy changes and how they can be equipped to adapt.

“Everything is going to be very different than it is today,” King said. “I don’t think that’s a fault of the schools, but it’s just that we change so fast.”

Beyond teaching, King has to focus on balancing his work and personal life, a struggle many teachers face.

“The most difficult aspect of teaching today for me is the time commitments. I put a lot of time and energy into this, but I try to maximize as much time at home as possible. I make it a priority to spend time with my wife and daughter,” King said.

King would tell new teachers that being yourself is the key to a lot of success in the classroom.

“When you’re showing them your real self and when you’re showing a genuine authentic interest in them, you get to build relationships,” King said. “It makes teaching a lot easier and a lot more fun.”

Teacher of the Year is a monumental award, one in which King not only earned but deserves.