LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

« Return to Nominee List

Tonya Stansbury

Position: Kindergarten Teacher
School: Cotteral Elementary
School District: Guthrie Public Schools
City, State: Guthrie, OK

Support Tonya Leave a comment

Tonya Stansbury was nominated by her sister, Trinity Perrin.

"Tonya is one of the best teachers, the best daughter, and the best sister that I know. We have been close for most of our adult lives," said Perrin. "She is one of the strongest people you will ever meet. When our mom was sick, she spent countless hours being the best caregiver she could be while continuing to work as a kindergarten teacher full time. She is constantly going above and beyond for her students."

Ms. Stansbury stays late to finish projects and is always looking for new ways to reach students who she knows need help. You can tell she is a teacher who students and parents respect because she has been asked over and over to have students who are from the same family. A few years ago, she had a student who was taken out of their family and put in the care of DHS. She stepped up and was a foster parent for this child and her brother for over a year. She was concerned they had no where to go, and she did not want them to be separated and undergo more trauma.

"Tonya opened her home and her heart to those kids, and I think that it helped them greatly," said Perrin. "She also has won teacher of the year awards in the past, and she continues to seek out learning opportunities for herself. She has a great way of keeping discipline and fun balanced in her class. Tonya is professional and compassionate to her students, as well as to other staff members."

Comments (1)

Ryan Kuriger Posted over a year ago

Ms. Stansbury is an amazing teacher who does her best to keep her students engaged and excited to learn. As her niece I can't tell you how many times we have run into her students in public years after they were in her class who express how she impacted their lives. She truly is amazing.