In June, Meghan Taylor -- an English Language Learner teacher at Eagleridge Elementary -- was named one of 24 Teachers of the Week by the Seattle Mariners, WSECU and the 710 ESPN radio station.

The honor comes with a $500 grant for Taylor’s classroom, another $500 grant for her school, a Mariners gift card and two tickets to a Mariners game in August.

But if it was up to Taylor, every teacher would get free Mariner tickets, Taylor joked.

“I am very honored to receive it, (but) I feel like I’m not more deserving than any other teacher that worked their way through this year,” she said.

Taylor has taught at Eagleridge for two years, specifically working with emerging bilingual students in grades K-5. She was born in Omak, spent much of her grade school years on Camano Island, and previously taught in Yelm, Seattle, Albuquerque and Bozeman, Montana before arriving in Ferndale.

At Eagleridge, Taylor works with students who speak numerous languages at home, including Amharic, Punjabi, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish and various Indigenous Guatemalan dialects. Although she can speak a bit of Spanish, Taylor admitted she isn’t fluent in any language other than English.

”Our amazing paraeducators, who are fluent, are certainly vital to this program,” she said.

Taylor said she loves working with multilingual students. Not only does she really get to know her students -- she works with them for multiple years instead of just one, like most teachers -- but she also gets to learn about their families’ cultures and histories, she said.

“I have been really lucky to be a part of this program, and accepted into the Ferndale family,” Taylor said. “Before getting this job, I didn’t know it was the job I really wanted, but now that I’m in it, I can appreciate that this is where I want to be.”

Taylor admitted she isn’t a baseball fan, and she doesn’t have a favorite Mariner. But she’s still excited to attend the free Mariners game with the tickets she earned alongside her Teacher of the Week award.

But what Taylor’s most excited about is the positive attention her program is receiving due to the award, along with the $1,000 in combined grants to her classroom and school.

“The money that we get from this award could support our growth in the program,” she said.