Burlington educator named Vermont Teacher of the Year

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Students and staff at Champlain Elementary School in Burlington spent Thursday celebrating one of their own. Aziza Malik has taught fifth grade at the school for 14 years and will now be Vermont Teacher of the Year.

It was a celebration filled with music, laughter, and of course, education, as the Champlain Elementary community honored Aziza Malik.

“It’s just truly incredible to be able to see that all come together, and this day made my heart burst with pride,” Malik said.

During her tenure at the school, officials say she’s revitalized the school’s garden and established connections between the school and the local Abenaki community.

“We’re here today to recognize someone in your community who loves working to make learning come alive, someone who loves to see students connecting their learning to our land and culture. Someone who loves to build community to foster connections,” said Burlington Superintendent Tom Flannagan.

Malik says through this award, she hopes to continue to grow programs at her school and be a model for other schools throughout the state. “The projects that we’ve done have made a real change in our community. We’re fighting climate change by doing nature-based solutions with our partners, with the city. And we’re growing food that’s culturally affirming, with new farms for new Americans and other places. We’re doing the work right here and making our world a better place,” Malik said. She says without the support of students, parents, and the district, none of this would have been possible. “This is truly a shared award because it’s all about collaboration. Today especially was the culmination of seeing all those community partnerships from the years and years of working here in the community together. It was truly incredible.”

Malik will serve as Teacher of the Year starting on January 1.

Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.