PEARCE, Ariz. (KGUN) — Patty Messner, a Language Arts teacher at Pearce Elementary School, was named the 2025 Arizona Rural Schools Teacher of the Year by The Arizona Rural Schools Association.
"I kept like hitting the button going, is that real? Is that that? Does that say congratulations?" Messner said when she got the email announcing her as a finalist.
The Arizona Rural Schools Association represents nearly 200 rural and small school districts across the state. Messner was nominated by her school and Superintendent for the award.
“It's an honor, because every day I come in and I just try to give my best to my students in a rural setting," she said. "Sometimes you don't have all the resources that you need, and you have to think out of the box. In a rural setting, a teacher can come into a classroom and meet those individuals and realize that they're relying on you.”
Messner found out she was the winner in September, one week after Messner lost her home in a fire. She says students worked with the community to find a quilt to replace the family heirloom she lost in the fire. The honor was even more meaningful as her students rallied around her during the difficult time.
"They're celebrating too, you know," she said. "I tell them all the time, it's your chance to shine too, because you make me the kind of teacher I want to be."
Teaching fifth through eighth grade, the language arts teacher said the connections she builds with students in rural schools are what make the challenges worthwhile.
"That's why I teach in a rural school, because of the connections. I don't want to ever have a student feel like they're not special. Every kid is special the moment they walk onto this campus and into our classrooms, and I don't want them to feel like they're nothing," Messner said.
A feeling, she said, she felt when she was growing up.
"I didn't have the best education growing up, my experiences with my teachers, and I wanted to make sure that not another student was going to have a memory, a negative memory about school," Messner said.
Now she focuses on inspiring the next generation of students to believe in their potential.
"School is about building a positive hope that something better is out there for me and I want my students to know that they can do and be anything that they absolutely want to be," Messner said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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