ARLEE — The Montana 2022 Teacher of the Year, Arlee High School Science teacher Bill Stockton, was surprised Tuesday by his school district with an assembly to celebrate his dedication to learning.
“I just I wasn't expecting this to be the outcomes," said Stockton.
It may have been a surprise to Mr. Stockton, but it was not a shock to his students and fellow educators.
“Bill's a straight shooter. It's one of those that when kids mess up in class, he's the one that teaches them to grow, instead of just dropping the hammer on him. He worked with colleagues, he asked questions. And he's not one to just go with the norm, he's constantly looking for change and what works for one kid might not work for all kids and he always goes back and works really hard to make sure that he's getting the kids to have the best success possible." - Principal Cory Beckham
“I was having a hard time understanding the math concept of it, and like how I was supposed to do the calculations and so he sat with me like five minutes after class and was like this is how you do this and if it's better this way for you then you can do that for sure,” said sophomore Harli Kinney.
This is not just an award for Stockton, but for Arlee Schools as well.
“And this proves that our Lee has what it takes to give our kids a world-class education, and be prepared to go do whatever they want, wherever they want,” noted Arlee Schools Superintendent Mike Perry.
“And I think it shows that what we're doing here as a school is, is being validated and we're doing a lot of amazing things here. And we have a lot of students here that are getting a great education are able to go on and do the things that they would like to do later in life,” Stockton told MTN News.
Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen presented the award at an assembly. Stockton will go on to represent Montana on a national level in Washington D.C., making strides in national education.
Stockton says that he wouldn’t be where he is today in his career, without the teachers and students that allowed him to grow as an educator.
“I think all the students that I've had that have challenged me, and it made me think about what I was doing and why I was doing it every day that I come to work, I look forward to being challenged by them." - Bill Stockton
