Lakeland names Garwood kindergarten teacher as Teacher of the Year

Jodie DeVore tells Garwood Elementary School kindergarteners in Rathdrum that they can do hard things, and that message has become the center of how she teaches, calms and builds confidence in Lakeland Joint School District 272. After a districtwide vote, Interim Superintendent Jake Massey named DeVore the district’s Teacher of the Year, honoring a teacher whose classroom routine is built around encouragement, affirmations and the kind of steady reassurance young children need when school feels big.

DeVore said she was shocked when the recognition was revealed and described the moment as emotional. She noticed family members in the crowd and initially wondered why they were there, before realizing the announcement was for her. The response fit a career that has been shaped less by spotlight than by repetition, patience and the daily work of helping 5- and 6-year-olds push through anxiety, new tasks and early academic challenges.

Her path to kindergarten was not a straight line. DeVore previously taught second grade at Betty Kiefer Elementary School, then took time off to spend with her family before returning to the classroom. Since coming back, she has devoted about 17 years to kindergarten, a grade she says she loves because the chaos is also joyful. In DeVore’s room, that chaos is managed through a simple message: children can try, fail and keep going, whether they are learning to read, tying into gym class or taking on a new social challenge.

That approach matters in a district where the earliest school years can set the tone for everything that follows. Lakeland Joint School District 272 serves Kootenai County and includes six K-5 schools, three middle schools, three high schools and Kootenai Technical Education Campus. District information says its daily mission is to maximize student learning every day in all environments. Public enrollment data put Lakeland at 4,527 students in 12 schools during the 2023-2024 school year, and budget figures list about $53.1 million in revenue for 2021-2022.

For families in Rathdrum and across Kootenai County, DeVore’s recognition points to a larger truth about public education: in the early grades, one teacher’s classroom culture can shape how children see themselves. At Garwood, her mantra has done exactly that, giving students a phrase they can carry into first grade and beyond.