HENDERSON (KTNV) — A Henderson teacher is being recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty to help his students.
On Friday, Foothill High School special education teacher Joseph Kielminski was surprised during a school assembly and given the Milken Educator Award. The national award recognizes "exceptional educators for outstanding innovation and excellence in education."
According to the Milken Family Foundation, in addition to being the special education department chair, he also works with the Special Olympics and Best Buddies programs and has worked with his colleagues to introduce his students to classes like video production and ceramics. He has also launched a sign language club, a classroom garden, and a campus and classroom cleanup group.
"I'm a special education teacher, in the autism department specifically. We teach a little bit of everything. We have our math and English and science and writing but we also do functional work and teaching kids what's next after high school," Kielminski said. "For a lot of kids, they're in my class up until they're 22 years old so there is a lot of work that can be done in that time and getting them to understand transitioning, getting them ready for real-life experiences, job training, independent living. There's a lot that goes into our classroom and the kids are better off in the end."
Kielminski attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and earned his Bachelor of Arts in history degree in 2013. In 2019, he earned a Master of Arts in teaching autism. He said he never expected to become a teacher.
"It was something I could do in the mid-term until I found what I wanted to do. Once I got into it, I fell in love with it," Kielminski said. "I love spending time with the students and seeing them learn. When that light switch turns on, it's amazing. It's great that what you put in, you see come out 10-fold. All of the students I've had over the years, they've taught me so many things and we've built a very good environment."
He said he was completely stunned to receive the award.
"I was not told. Today, we're just celebrating seniors and the end of the year. I came in and [there were] a lot more people than I expected. I won the award and it's life-changing. It's amazing," Kielminski said. "I wasn't expecting my name to be on it. I had other teachers in mind. We have amazing teachers here at school. She announced my name and I kind of got tunnel vision and I'm just so grateful."
Kielminski said while it's incredible to be honored on a national level, he's not alone in doing good work.
"There are so many other people besides myself that should be acknowledged. Teachers, every day, go through so many different things. Acknowledging teachers across the nation should be important," Kielminski said.
In addition to winning the award, Kielminski also won $25,000. He will also go on an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles for the Milken Educator Awards Forum in June.
