Like many teachers, Sonia Dawes, a grade six teacher at Bermuda Institute, often felt it hard to gauge whether she was hitting the mark with her students.

But after 11-year-old Xiaye Bradshaw filmed a heartwarming video about Mrs Dawes, nominating her to be Teacher of the Year, it reaffirmed just how big an impact she was making in the lives of her students.

Mrs Dawes said she was “excited” and “humbled” just to be nominated for the award. She was especially shocked when she was named Teacher of the Year 2014 at last Thursday’s presentation. In addition to a special trophy and certificate, she was also awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to the Learning Disabilities Association’s 52nd Annual International Conference in Chicago next February.

But for Mrs Dawes one of the biggest rewards came from hearing about the extra lengths Xiaye went through to prepare the video for her.

“Apparently Xiaye arranged to get into school on a Sunday and did it,” Mrs Dawes explained. “It was really nice to hear why she nominated me.

“This was her first year at Bermuda Institute so she had some challenges making friends and just settling in and she felt as though I helped make her transition much easier.

“She said I helped her believe in herself and believe in her ability. I saw potential in her that she didn’t know she had.”

Mrs Dawes has been a teacher for more than 30 years. She always knew she wanted a career in education and would often “play school” with her little brother and cousins as a youngster.

“Teaching was an easy fit for me because I always loved children, liked spending time with them and thought this would be a great way to spend quality time where you can make a difference in their lives,” she said.

In her view, a teacher’s goal should be to help children recognise their full potential. However she said it isn’t always easy to measure how well you’re doing that.

“Teaching is one of those jobs where you really don’t know how big of an impact you are having on a student,” she said. “The rewards are so intangible sometimes and you don’t know how well you are encouraging students.

“Sometimes teaching can be very lonely, it’s just you in the classroom with the children and you don’t get the big financial rewards.

“But those intangible rewards like a note on your desk after school or a note on a test paper saying ‘I really understand this concept now’ or ‘Thank you for putting in extra time with me after school, it really made a difference’ ... those things mean a lot.”

Although teaching comes with its challenges, Mrs Dawes said the best part is seeing a child’s eyes light up when they finally understand the work.

“When they recognise that they can really do this, that’s really what excites me about learning,” she said.

“It’s easy teaching smart children, they will get it, but I like the challenge of seeing those who struggled get it.”

She will often go the extra mile to ensure this happens. Not only does she switch up her message from time to time, incorporating new technology or other tools to help a child engage with the material, she will also invest time on weekends, holidays and after school.

It’s also important for teachers to let students know they’re genuinely interested in them, Mrs Dawes explained.

“I think when you develop relationships with students that goes further than just presenting curriculum and instruction.

“It’s about letting them know you really believe in them and care about what they do outside the classroom, going to watch them play a football game or watching their ballet recital and things like that, just building that relationship.”

Mrs Dawes said she is thankful for having a supportive husband, Everton Dawes, and other family members who encourage her.

She also tries to take care of herself through exercise and eating well and has a firm religious belief in God, which she tries to impart to her students.

“What we do for children ultimately impacts our society,” she said. “We need to keep encouraging children to strive for their best and encourage them to recognise their value as an individual and realise how much they too can make a difference in our world.

“I encourage students to be individuals, not followers and inspire them to be leaders,” she continued.

“And for me I just encourage my students that bigger than you there is a God who cares, who is all wise and knowing and what you ask of Him, He will give you.”