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By Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat
Janet Damon is the type of teacher students will remember for the rest of their lives, her father said after she was named the 2025 Colorado Teacher of the Year.
“She’s a miracle child,” said a beaming Joseph Damon, 76, a former educator, adding: “She takes care of kids.”
Others who gathered for a surprise assembly said that it did not surprise them that the Denver Public Schools DELTA High School history teacher received the statewide honor over six other finalists.
Many cited her selfless mission to help her students as the reason she was selected for the honor.
DELTA junior Serenity Sena, 17, who stayed after the assembly to congratulate her teacher and get a photo, said Damon helped her through the hospitalization of her mom, who was diagnosed with liver failure. Sena said Damon pushed her to stay in school and get through the toughest days.
Damon stayed after hours to help her with not just history homework, but English and math, Sena said.
“This award is something we expected. It’s something she deserves. 100%,” Sena said. “She’s just a guiding spirit.”
Each year, the Colorado Teacher of the Year program selects a Colorado teacher to honor for their service toward students. Along with the title, Damon received $5,000 from the Boettcher Foundation and $5,000 from the Colorado Department of Education. She will also have a chance to be chosen for the National Teacher of the Year award.
Meanwhile, she will serve as a teaching ambassador for the entire state.
Colorado Commissioner of Education Susana Cordova said Damon had a chance to talk about herself during the assembly, but instead thanked and honored everyone else around her.
“She’s the kind of teacher that I think really sees her work as helping others and gives so selflessly and recognizes what people do for her,” Cordova said. “I don’t know if she really recognizes how much she does for others. This is just a great opportunity to really call out the tremendous contribution she’s making to our profession.”
Damon has taught for more than 25 years, and in her nomination, the Colorado Department of Education cited her focus on helping students imagine solutions to problems in the state and their lives, such as creating podcasts that advocate for issues such as homelessness, gun violence, incarceration, inflation, and immigration.
Damon said her mother and father contributed the most toward her passion to educate others. Her father was educated in segregated Texas schools, and her mother didn’t have access to education, she said, which inspired her to help ensure others get a great education.
She grew up in military schools before going to Denver West High School, she said, and her father fought for her to get into advanced classes.
“So for me, every student deserves something that’s going to be hard, that they are going to be proud of,” she said.
She said she can help students only because DELTA leadership supports her and trusts her. It’s the type of environment where every teacher can grow and be their best, she said.
She hopes to use her new platform to focus on the great things happening in the classroom, she said. And she wants others to know that good leadership can help any teacher become the Colorado Teacher of the Year.
Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at [email protected].
