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Melissa Heaton teaches 8th grade English at Mapleton Jr. High and was selected as this week's Educator of the Week. An alumna of Brigham Young University, Heaton not only teaches at Mapleton Jr. High but also is involved in the Central Utah Writing Project and Utah Council of Teachers of English.
"I enjoy having my students share the books they are reading or what they are writing, and I like to share with them what I write and read," Heaton said. "Those are fun connections."
Having taught for 15 years, Heaton has had many opportunities to serve in the education community. She was a member of the school community council for two years and mentored new teachers and interns for many years, in addition to being a part of the school's leadership team.
This year Heaton is in charge of Mapleton Jr. High's accreditation -- a big responsibility.
Achievements
Heaton was Reading Teacher of the Year in 2006, has served as Utah Council of Teachers of English Conference Chair for two years and Utah Council of Teachers of English Teacher of the Year Chairperson for one year. She has also presented at various Nebo, UCTE and CUWP conferences and workshops.
While working at Nebo School District's Outdoor Education Program at Shadow Mountain for five summers, students affectionately referred to Heaton as Snow White.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Heaton co-authored an article with Dr. Deborah Dean at BYU that they hope will soon be accepted and published in a scholarly journal.
Heaton is no stranger to junior high. She's taught grades six through nine on varied subjects from English and reading to typing and special education.
Prior to teaching at Mapleton Jr. High, she taught at Springville Middle School.
"I always brag about my students. They are such good kids, and they make me proud," she said. "It makes me so happy when former students come back to visit me. I enjoy hearing about their achievements and successes."
Daily Herald Community & Business Editor Jordan Carroll can be reached at jcarroll [at] heraldextra.com or on Twitter @jordanec