For Emily Kogut, a first grade teacher at St. Mary’s School in Landover Hills, Maryland, the best part of her job is seeing the excitement in her students when they grasp what she is teaching them.
“I love seeing the students and watching that moment when they have learned something new,” Kogut said. “I love seeing their excitement.”
Kogut’s dedication to her teaching was recently honored by the Archdiocese of Washington. She was among this year’s 10 archdiocesan Catholic school educators to be named a Golden Apple Award winner. The annual award recognizes a teacher’s professional excellence, leadership, commitment to Catholic values, and devotion to teaching in Catholic schools.
“She is such an incredible educator and hard worker,” said LaSandra Hayes, principal of St. Mary’s School. “She is a very humble spirit. I am so glad our students have the type of educator Ms. Kogut is.”
Kogut has taught first grade at St. Mary’s for four years, however, she has been an educator in archdiocesan Catholic schools for 10 years. She previously taught at St. Augustine in Washington, D.C., and Mount Calvary School in Forestville, Maryland.
She said she knew she wanted to be a Catholic school educator because “I was raised in Catholic education, and it has given me an important foundation.” Kogut is a graduate of St. Pius X Regional School in Bowie, Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, Maryland, and The Catholic University of America.
“I like being in an environment where I can share my faith and help my students know Jesus will always be there for us, even if we feel that no one else is there for us,” Kogut said. “Sharing my faith is not something I am ashamed of or embarrassed by. It is an important part of my life, and I want it to be a part of their (her students’) life. I want them to celebrate and praise our Lord.”
She said that teaching students about their faith “was especially important this year because I had to help students realize we might not understand the pain, but God has a plan for all of us.”
“During this year of COVID, teachers had to go the extra mile and she most definitely did that. She is loving, creative and she thinks outside of the box,” principal Hayes said. “She put in so much ingenuity, attention and work. I admire her love for teaching God’s children.”
Kogut – like all teachers in Archdiocese of Washington Catholic schools – had to adapt to a different teaching model during this time of pandemic.
“I never thought I’d be teaching this way. We do hybrid learning, but most of the students are on line. I have to bring that loving and caring of the classroom to the computer screen,” Kogut said. “Above all my students need to know they are in a loving environment and they will be taken care of.”
Kogut said she was worried about “all the computer time” students spent each day.
“I am not used to being in front of a screen all day long, and I know it is hard for the students. I like to build in break time so that they are not staring at a screen all day,” she said.
She noted that she incorporated dance breaks, time for students to talk to their friends and other activities to give them a break from the computer.
“This year, when teachers, students and parents had to learn and adapt to the remote learning system, Ms. Kogut has shown extraordinary adaptability while maintaining academic rigor, excellent class participation, and positive student morale,” said Father Evelio Menjivar, pastor of St. Mary’s Church.
He added that the award-winning teacher “has also been a great supporter to the school community as she has mentored other teachers and paraeducators, enhancing their teaching practices as well as helping them navigate the current difficulties.”
Golden Apple Award winners each receive a $5,000 prize, along with a golden apple.
The Golden Apple Awards, sponsored by the Donahue Family Foundation, honors outstanding Catholic school teachers in this archdiocese, and several other dioceses. Jack and Rhodora Donahue, founders of the Pittsburgh-based foundation, sent their 13 children to Catholic schools.
