When Reding was told that she was a top five finalist, one of her students shouted that she deserved to be teacher of the year. That should give insight on how she is viewed as a teacher.
Reding broke out in tears when she was announced as the winner and choked up after thanking the people important in her life. Reding said doubt crept into her mind about whether or not she could win.
"I watched all of the other teachers' videos and thought, 'Oh, they're so amazing and they're going to win,' so I was quite surprised when my name was announced,'" Reding said. "It means so much because it helps me realize how important my career is and my efforts do matter."