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June 2, 2021
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Leslie Murphy named
Teacher of the Year for PCS By Michelle Boswell mboswell@thepaperofmiami.com
Leslie Murphy has been named Teacher of the Year for Peru Community Schools. Murphy, who has been a teacher for 25 years, said she was “utterly shocked” when she found out she was chosen for the award. She couldn’t believe it because “you hear what others have done for our students such as teachers delivering food and providing beds for students that do not have them. Kids going through credit recovery and teachers in the trenches beside them so they can graduate. It’s just amazing how hard everyone works for the students in our community. I’m invested in this community and that was a common thread heard from so many...I’m very blessed to work for a principal, Linda Watkins, who trusted me this year to lead in a different way,” Murphy said. To become Teacher of the Year, each school administrator nominates their choice for their building. The principals, assistant principals, Superintendent, and assistant Superintendent then vote on it. Murphy began her teaching career at St. Charles Catholic School in 1996. She moved to Blair Pointe the following year. It’s a job she loves no matter the hurdles that come with the career because to Murphy it is more than a job. “I chose to go into teaching because I love to challenge students to believe in themselves and when you see them accomplish things so unexpected it is amazing! I love creating lessons that students will remember and grow from. We have a lot of challenges in our community, and I want my students to be the ones to change the world...to let them know they matter,” she said. Challenges were abundant for Murphy, like all other teachers across the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This year was full of lots of obstacles with Covid and virtual learning. I met three times a day via Microsoft Teams
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with my students while teaching in-person kids as well. The challenge of making an impact with kids who never walked in my classroom was interesting but rewarding. I am also the Teacher Trainer at Blair Pointe, so I worked with teachers in instruction and curriculum...and helped them create virtual lessons and better understand some new pieces of curriculum that we introduced this year. Being versatile with instruction via technology was a huge hurdle this year” Murphy explained. Being a teacher is not the only job she loves. She is also a 12-year Peru Amateur Circus trainer and a member of the Peru Public Library Board, serving her second term. “I love being a part of that (the library board) because I want our community to thrive with literacy...get books into the hands of our kids. The summer reading program that our director, Maryanne Farnham and her staff put together is awesome and so many opportunities for students. Other than that, I love gardening and spending time with my granddaughter. Speaking of family, Murphy will tell anyone without hesitation that family is everything to her. She is the daughter of David and Nancy Weeks. “They instilled in my brother, David Weeks, a fifth-grade teacher at Blair Pointe, hard work and respect…two things I try to show to my students every day and what I push to get from them. Being able to work with my brother has been such a blessing and we are so close. We spent a lot of Sundays on my parents’ front porch, drinking iced tea, with my mom talking about how the week went and what to expect the following week. I have three amazing kids...Josie, Emma, and Jimmy. Jimmy is going to school for art education at Indiana University of Kokomo. Josie graduated from St. Francis University in 2019 and is engaged to Alex Woods. Emma is attending the University of Southern New Hampshire. My grand-
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Leslie Murphy Teacher of the Year daughter Kinsley is four and a half,” Murphy shared. She said “Family is what gets you through the tough times. I am so thankful God gave me mine! My mom is my rock!” Now that Murphy has been chosen for the award, she will go on to next level to vie for State Teacher of the Year. She will need to fill out an application along with other documents to be entered into the competition. The title would be Indiana Teacher of the Year, 2022.