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Dr. Byron Darnall, the associate commissioner of education, remembers the excitement he would feel as Christmas drew near on the calendar each year.

His grandmother would put all her effort into making Christmas special by selecting just the right gift for everyone while leaving her gifts unopened.

“We would get to the point of forcing her to open her gifts and see her reaction,” Darnall, the featured speaker at Campbellsville University’s 37th annual Excellence in Teaching ceremony in Ransdell Chapel May 13, said. “What I realized later was her gift was giving gifts.”

This year’s Excellence in Teaching ceremony honored 236 recipients from 83 districts across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Teachers from Harlan County were among those recognized.

Recipients for Harlan County are as follows: Wendolyn Blanton, Rosspoint Elementary School, Brooke Clem, Black Mountain Elementary School and Dr. Kevin Harris, Harlan County High School.

Blanton of Harlan has taught kindergarten and first grade at Rosspoint Elementary School since 2007 and previously taught kindergarten and first grade at Wallins Elementary School from 1993 to 2007.

She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Lincoln Memorial University in 1992 and also received a master’s degree in elementary education from Union College in 1994 and a Rank I in institutional leadership and administration supervision from Union College.

A 1989 graduate of James A. Cawood High School, Blanton’s parents are L. Joyce Gaw and D. Clarence Gaw and she has three children: Allison Blanton-Sumpter, Madison Blanton and Hunter Blanton.

Clem of Baxter has taught social studies (grades 6-8) at Black Mountain Elementary School since 2018.

She received an associate’s degree in arts and science from Southeast Community College in 2010 and also received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in 2013 and a master’s degree in teaching from the University of the Cumberlands.

The wife of Ryan Clem and daughter of Debbie and Guy Sergent, Clem is a 2008 graduate of James A. Cawood High School.

Harris of Totz has taught math and physics at Harlan County High School since 2019.

He received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Kentucky in 2008. Harris also received a doctorate in engineering from the University of Kentucky in 2015 and a master’s in teaching from the University of the Cumberlands in 2020.

A 2004 graduate of Harlan High School, Harris is married to Ashley Harris, and they have one child: Eliyanah Kate Harris.

Darnall, a Meade County native, serves in the Kentucky Department of Education’s Office of Educator Licensure and Effectiveness. He has served in various education roles in Kentucky and a stint in the Iowa Department of Education.

He told the award recipients, “I feel this way about leadership. Today, we gather to celebrate you and the tremendous impacts you make daily on students. This has very little to do with what I have to say and more about taking a moment to say thank you.”

Darnall asked the award recipients to name a teacher who had a positive and significant impact on their lives.

“Just as you honor your teacher today, one of your current or former students is thinking the same about you,” Darnall noted.

Darnall quoted from Mandy Perez, the 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year.

“She reflected her peer’s aggravation with the narrative that teachers enter the classroom with an agenda, which she refuted by saying, ‘The only agenda teachers have is doing the very best for every one of their students every day.’”

Perez is a sixth-grade English and language arts teacher at Crittenden County Middle School.

Darnall also quoted Rebecka Peterson, the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, who said, “One good thing, every day.”

“Every classroom, every school, experiences one good thing every day, and this is what matters in our profession because otherwise, the negative noise wins out,” Darnall said.

He reminded everyone teaching has always been a labor of love, but teaching today has reached “a new level of taxing.”

“I’d love to wave a magic wand and make the difficulties disappear,” Darnall said. “I realize ceremonies and teacher appreciation weeks are nice, but they do not go far enough to recognize the talent each of you displays on a daily basis.”

“Weekly, I speak about the urgent needs of our professions. I regularly present sobering data about the education pipeline. I regretfully have no way to assure anyone things will improve. I fear, instead, the profession will continue to struggle for relevance in the public eye.”

However, Darnall said, that is what makes moments like the Excellence in Teaching Awards ceremony all the more special.

“The answers everyone seeks are right here in this room,” Darnall said. “We are brand ambassadors. I’ll acknowledge concerns about toxic positivity, which to me overlooks how hard it is to be a teacher.

“We all deserve the right to be human, and we deserve the right to be proud of what we do and why we do it.”

Darnall also thanked school administrators, telling them, “As an administrator, I admire the importance of school leadership as a key to successful teaching…I do not underestimate your daily challenges and role in creating successful schools.”

Darnall also noted the many sacrifices teachers make, especially with their time.

“Just as each of you do every week,” he said, “you’ve given time on a Saturday that could be spent doing countless other things, things that likely get neglected as a result of your dedication to students. Because of this, I want you to know how much you matter.”