A local teacher is getting a big honor from the New York State United Teachers Union. Maine-Endwell social studies teacher Rachel Murat has been named the 2020 Teacher of the Year.

Murat has been working as a teacher for 24 years. She is an eight-time Maine-Endwell Distinguished Teacher, but she also works hard to help students outside the classroom. That includes creating a ninth grade mentoring program to make the high school transition easier.

She has some advice to share with new teachers.

"They need to take care of themselves first,” she said. “Be mindful of the fact that they need to have some down time. Know that they matter. What they do matters, and they are important in the lives of our students."

Murat is also the founder of Maine-Endwell Assisting Local Spartans, which provides food and other essentials to families.

Though Murat teachers with her whole heart, she didn't always want to be an educator.

"Decided I needed to pick a major in college because I hadn't originally wanted to be a teacher, because I wanted to distinguish myself from my family because they were educators," said Murat.

But she walked into her first education class and felt at home, something her current students are grateful for.

"She makes sure you make sure you know what  you're doing with everything and if you don't know what you're doing, that's fixed. Everything gets fixed. It's a warm environment, it's welcoming," said student Sophie Jewlewski.

"Her biggest attribute is that she cares so much about students on an individual level," said Maine-Endwell High School Principal Tom Burkhardt.