Local teacher in running for ‘America’s Favorite Teacher.’ Here’s how you can vote for her.

IDAHO FALLS — A local teacher is hoping to move forward in a national contest, but she needs the community’s help to make that happen.

Tiana Eck, 33, is a sixth-grade teacher at Ethel Boyes Elementary School in Idaho Falls. She was chosen to be part of a nationwide contest called “America’s Favorite Teacher” where one educator will win $25,000, take a trip to Hawaii and appear in Reader’s Digest.

Eck’s made it to the top-five in her category — she is currently sitting in fifth place — and only the first-place person in her category will go through to the final round. Voting for group finalists ends Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m. PDT. If Eck is not in first-place in her category come Thursday, she will be out of the competition.

“I can’t believe I’ve made it this far,” Eck told EastIdahoNews.com. “There was at least 125 people in my category (to start) and only the top 20 made it through. Then it went down to 15, then 10 and then five. I’ve been slowly making my way through.”

Eck said she came across the competition on Facebook and decided to look into. She thought it was worth a try to enter, and within a few weeks of entering, she received emails notifying her the contest was starting.

“I’ve been putting it on my Facebook page every day, and my family and friends have been very supportive and constantly voting everyday,” she mentioned.

Eck attended BYU-Idaho where she received her bachelor’s degree and she also has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. She’s been teaching in District 91 for two years but has been an elementary teacher for eight years.

Her teaching career began in her hometown of Klamath Falls, Oregon, at the same school she attended as a kid. She also taught in Washington before coming to Idaho.

“Ever since I was in sixth grade, I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “My sixth-grade teacher, his name was Mr. Evan Mortenson. He showed me how fun school could be, and I wanted to do that for my students as well.”

Although there are challenges that come with teaching, Eck said she’s found that if she can befriend her students, it makes everything easier. She’s dedicated her time as a teacher to focusing on those students who are struggling.

“I try to help them as best as I can and let them know that I actually care and want to be there for them,” Eck mentioned. “Those kids end up being my favorite kids at the end of the year, and they’re the ones that cry and don’t want to leave. It makes me cry because I’ve made a difference in their lives, and then watching them move on and be successful, it’s amazing.”

Eck also enjoys being involved in her students’ lives outside of the classroom.

“I love going to their sporting events and their music events, and letting them know that I’m not just their teacher in the classroom, but I’m also there to support them with whatever else they’re doing,” Eck said.

She hopes the community will now show their support for her in this competition by voting online. To vote for Eck, click here. Supporters get one free vote every 24 hours and for those who’d like to cast extra votes, there’s the option to make monetary donations, which funds go toward educators, Eck said.

“I don’t know of any other teachers who are doing this around the area, so having the support from the Idaho community and backing up one of their own (means a lot),” Eck stated.

Eck said if she wins, she plans to put the $25,000 toward her student loans.