BILLINGS — Q2, Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools, Western Security Bank, and City Brew Coffee have teamed up for “One Class at a Time.” It's a program that recognizes teachers who go above and beyond to help their students.
Meet Kaia Williams, a 5th-grade teacher whose contagious energy and enthusiasm light up the classroom, inspiring curiosity and a love for learning every day.
“Relationships are everything,” said Ms. Williams. “These kids are eager to learn and they want to learn all the time, and you just need to find what they're interested in and what they love, and then when you make that connection, the growth explodes from there. I just find what their interests are and I try and incorporate those. They love, you know, the TikTok dances and the trends going on and their activities, and if you embrace that instead of trying to push it away, it really just continues to build your education in the classroom and then you can tie it into the curriculum and it's really fun.”
She really thrives on those “ah-ha” moments.
“When a kid finally gets it. It's when they've struggled all week and they've just really had a hard time, but finally by Friday it just kind of clicks. And they're so proud of themselves and their friends uplift them and we cheer each other on all the time. That's my favorite part.”
Ms. Williams also has a special connection to Boulder—she once walked those same halls as a student herself.
“I moved here in the middle of the school year when I was in third grade, so that's hard on any kid, but especially in third grade, that's such a formative year. And I had an amazing teacher to bring me back into things, and I think it was just a blessing.”
“She was an amazing student,” said Clay Herron, one of her former teachers who is now the principal at Boulder Elementary. “As a teacher and an educator, she goes above and beyond and is doing amazing things here at Boulder. We’re lucky to have her.”
A teacher whose journey has come full circle, now paying it forward at the school that helped shape her. That's why the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools was honored to present Ms. Williams with a $500 grant proudly sponsored by Western Security Bank. City Brew Coffee was also on hand to give her a $150 gift card, along with a few other surprises. Congratulations!
If you would like to nominate a deserving teacher, click here.
