Keira Gathers

“We have been so blessed to have Mrs. Van Horn as our daughter’s 2nd grade teacher. It is amazing to see how she sets high expectations for both learning and behavior for her class, the students rise up and thus strive for excellence under her teaching. She is both warm and caring, and she provides just the right challenge to make learning fun, exciting, and engaging. Mrs. Van Horn is the best of the best!”

I was one of Mrs. Van Horn’s students when I was in second grade. Still to this day, she is the best teacher I have ever had. Mrs. Van Horn taught me with passion, love, and excitement each and every day and it never wavered. Her ability to make each student feel important, heard, and understood was a blessing. I truly cannot think of anyone who does it like Mrs. Van Horn. I am currently a flight instructor, and when I teach my students, I hope to teach them just as well as Mrs. Van Horn did for me.

-VIP Drew Metz

Testimonials

Betsy Gunther

I am Ayden’s grandmother. I am also a high school teacher and Reading Specialist. So, what I am about to share with you comes not only from the heart of a proud matriarch, but also from a fellow educational professional.

I was afforded the wonderful opportunity to spend several weeks with Ayden and his brothers (Parker age 4, and Tucker age 3), this past summer. While we were out, Ayden happened to see Dr. Seuss’, “Green Eggs and Ham.” I purchased the book to read to him and his brothers that night and told him that I would make green eggs and ham for breakfast. That evening when we settled in to read the book before bed, Ayden asked if he could read the book. I was shocked, elated, and frankly, skeptical. You see, in the precious little time I get to spend with Ayden, I had never seen an affinity for books. His life with two energetic younger brothers does not often afford him a conducive environment for practice. So, when he opened the book and began to read, I was in awe! It was the first time I had heard him read and it made me cry. I was genuinely proud as a grandmother, but I was also impressed as an educator. He had a whole vocabulary of sight words, but he also had the confidence to sound out all the words he did not recognize. These are skills that were taught to him by a very special person. It is a gift that he will carry with him for the rest of his life. I can’t thank you enough for being such an excellent teacher. You have touched the lives of many children in ways you may never know. I just wanted you to know how your hard work and dedication has touched this family.

I am ecstatic that there are amazing examples of true educators still working… even though we have never met, I am proud to have you as a colleague.

My son was an average student. After Mrs. Van Horn taught him in 2nd grade, he became a scholar. A student with aspirations to succeed and become something great! I never thought I would hear my son say that he loves school. I never thought he would score so high on EOY tests. Mrs. Van Horn made him into a high scoring student that has confidence in the classroom. Not only did she teach mathematics, but she also helped in flourished in public speaking and provided a Christian perspective in manners and respect.

Joanna Kakouras

Shelley Hutchins

“To know Mrs. Van Horn, is to love her.  She is the perfect combination of demanding and loving; she has high expectations for her students and I have witnessed that the children have a deep desire to please her. She holds her students accountable while providing them with heart-felt love and kindness, which is a balance that is not easily struck, but she manages to do it flawlessly.  She understands that she is helping to build the foundation of a child when she leads them in the classroom.  When a child has a strong foundation, she understands that they are on the path to becoming good human beings.  She explains to her students that good people who care become contributing citizens, and there are never too many of those in our community!  She focuses on helping her students make good decisions and always chooses the right path by modeling The Golden Rule and applying its principle in the management of her classroom.  There is no teacher I would rather have lead my daughter; she is the ideal teacher if you are a parent who truly cares about the quality of people you have surrounding your child every day!  I appreciate that she keeps God central in her teaching and patience in her heart.”