Taylorsville special education teacher named Educator of the Year by Discovery Education Awards

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (ABC4) — A teacher at Hartvigsen School has been named Educator of the Year by the Discovery Education Awards.

Seyyed Sharifi is a special education teacher at Hartvigsen School in Taylorsville. He teaches post-high school students, aged 18 – 22, and educates them on life skills. He has previously been named Granite School District’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. In a press release from Granite School District, they share some of the qualities that went into Sharifi being honored as Educator of the Year.

“Seyyed prioritizes trust and connection to ensure every student feels safe, valued, and inspired to learn. Recognizing that traditional instruction methods don’t always meet the needs of students with diverse abilities, he brings creativity and technology into the classroom,” Granite School District shared in the release.

Discovery Education Awards selects five teachers across the nation to be honored as their Educator of the Year. There are also awards for the District of the Year and School of the Year.

Sharifi was honored this afternoon at the school. In an interview with ABC4, he shared his feelings about being the recipient of the award. He reflected on how winning this award was meaningful not only to him but to his family.

“For me, it’s about my family’s legacy. Both my mother and my father were teachers in Kabul, Afghanistan, and when they came here, they had to leave the profession behind,” Sharifi stated. “It was a way to kind of heal that family lineage… It’s kind of a sacred act to me, to teach.”

Sharifi says his teaching method is focused on independence. He works with virtual reality equipment and hands-on projects to help educate his students on life skills.

“I try to cultivate independence — that’s really the heartbeat of our classroom,” Sharifi said. “What got me here is that, is just really empowering the students to live their lives to the fullest.”

The Educator of the Year wasn’t always an educator, though. Sharifi shared that his career began somewhere different, but he found his way to special education.

“I did sales for a long time, I made a lot of money doing that, but I wasn’t able to sleep at night,” Sharifi said. “This job has allowed me to provide for my family… for me, it’s a noble way to earn a living.”

For those considering a career like Sharifi’s, he encourages whoever is interested to join him.

“We need more special educators. If you are thinking about special ed, come. It’s a rewarding career. The kids are lovely,” Sharifi stated.