Victoria Turner honored as Saint Joseph Teacher of the Year for focus on belonging and math achievement

Victoria (Tori) Turner, a mathematics teacher at Spring Garden Middle School, was named the Saint Joseph School District Teacher of the Year during the district's annual tribute to teachers.

In remarks accepting the award, Turner described teaching as a practice of building belonging and confidence. She said her classroom provides essentials such as snacks and hygiene items for students in need and emphasized activities that foster leadership, including student council initiatives and "Kindness Matters" assemblies. Turner said those routines help students stay engaged and build the relationships that enable learning.

Turner also described concrete instructional work to improve algebra outcomes. She told the audience she met with a colleague nearly every Sunday for almost two school years to revise instruction and questioning strategies after disappointing end-of-course results. "We met at Panera and we just planned things and talked about what I could do differently," she said. Turner credited that collaboration and reflection with moving her students to higher proficiency: she reported a 100% proficient or advanced rate on the Algebra 1 end-of-course assessment in the season after those adjustments, and later said an entire class scored 100% advanced in the most recent year.

Turner framed the award as an outcome of school and community supports: she thanked administrators for hiring and cultivating a culture where teachers could take risks and called on attendees to keep supporting students. "Students are the reason I love what I do," Turner said, recounting moments when former students returned to volunteer and donate to help current students.

The district will list Turner as its Teacher of the Year in district materials and the foundation will include her recognition in upcoming communications to donors and community partners.