By STEVEN GOODE, sgoode@courant.comThe Hartford Courant

June 19, 2012

BLOOMFIELD —— When Georganna Munz was in elementary school, two of her teachers went out of their way to get to know her and help her through some difficult times.

"They saw me as a person, not just as a test score," she said. "They made connections with me."

Her experience in the fourth and fifth grades had a profound impact on Munz, who considers it the impetus for her career choice – she's a fourth-grade teacher at Metacomet Elementary School.

And Munz, who was named the town's public school teacher of the year, brought that personal touch to her own classroom.

"These 18 kids are mine," Munz said Tuesday. "I've grown to love each and every one of them."

Judging by the messages her students wrote on a giant card at the back of the classroom, the feeling is mutual.

"You're the best teacher I ever had and I will never forget you," wrote Amir.

"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to express my potential. You are a great teacher," wrote Jada.

"You're the best teacher in the world and I want to stay in your class forever," wrote Dane.

Munz, 34, is in her first year at Metacomet after 11 years of teaching fifth and sixth grade at Carmen Arace Intermediate School. She was that school's teacher of the year in 2007.

On Tuesday morning she was preparing to say good-bye to her class. In the afternoon they would be participating in their promotional ceremony to Carmen Arace. In preparation Munz read from Dr. Seuss's "Oh, The Places You'll Go."

"Your mountain is waiting so get on your way," read Munz, sitting in a red rocking chair.

"In two hours you are moving on to a new mountain," she told the students.

Munz, a self-described "history nerd" who lives in Killingworth with her husband Damon and their daughter, Sarah, 4, also takes photos of all her students and creates learning-themed albums for each class. Each student gets a copy to take home at the end of the year.

"I think of my kids as a story," she said. "They are a piece of my history and I hope they think of me as a part of their history."

Jeordan Gallup, 11, said Tuesday that he will miss two things about Munz: "She's cuckoo and she never gives up on anyone," Gallup said.

Superintendent James Thompson also praised Munz for her teaching skill, work ethic and "devotion to students fortunate enough to be in her classroom."

"A walk through Ms. Munz's class reveals a well-organized environment where students are engaged and excited to learn," Thompson said.