Last year West Fargo celebrated as eighth grade English teacher Andrea Noonan was named 2013 North Dakota Teacher of the Year. Now, West Fargo celebrates again as English teacher Aaron Knodel has won the North Dakota Teacher of the Year award for 2014.
“I was shocked honestly,” Knodel said, “I had met the finalists already and they seeped of charisma and were just incredibly intelligent and well-spoken, and so I was shocked and certainly humbled by the fact that they chose me.”
However these feelings of shock weren’t shared by West Fargo Superintendent David Flowers.
“I told Mr. Knodel that I wasn’t surprised. I was very very pleased, but I wasn’t surprised, because I know what a quality teacher he is, and I knew even though there were fantastic teachers around the state I would have been surprised if he didn’t rise above them.” Flowers said.
This award has also brought pride to the school and fellow members of the staff at West Fargo High School.
“It reaffirms the excitement I had when I first took the job,” Principal Jennifer Fremstad said. “It was a difficult move, and then to walk in and be so welcomed by staff and so welcomed by students and then to know that you are working with the best educators in North Dakota, there is nothing better.”
Knodel believes, however that this award doesn’t change what he has to do.
“It means a lot, but at the end of the day on Monday I’m going to come back to my class, to twenty people that probably don’t care that I won this,” Knodel said. “And the reality is that it is humbling, but I just love teaching. I love to get in the front of the room and I think that teaching is just a wonderfully noble and awesome profession to have.”