Teachers from both local school districts will be represented at the 46th annual Santa Clara County Teacher Recognition award ceremony on Sept. 29.

Catherine Patterson, a fifth-grade teacher from Castro Elementary School and Michael Wilson, department coordinator for Middle College, an alternative program for advanced high school students held on the Foothill College campus, will be honored at the ceremony.

"It's pretty exciting," Patterson said, acknowledging that there are many "really deserving teachers in Mountain View."

Patterson, who has been teaching for 9 years -- all of them at Mountain View Whisman schools -- said she focuses on creating meaningful relationships with her students.

"Anyone can get up and deliver a quality lesson," Patterson said, "but if the student doesn't care about doing well, they will pretty much tune out."

Establishing those relationships, she said, motivates the children to do well for themselves and for her.

"I love my job," Patterson said. "To me, there is nothing better in the world than seeing the look on a kid's face when they finally get and feel good about it."

Wilson, like Patterson, is very passionate about what his job. At Middle College he works with high school students who are a bit ahead of the curve socially, academically or both. Middle College students spend their school days entirely on the Foothill campus, splitting their time between a core high school curriculum and college classes.

He said it was an "honor" to be recognized for what he does.

"I'm excited to wake up and go to work every day," Wilson said, adding that he works with some very outspoken and engaging youths, who despite their smarts have been turned off by they high school experience. To be able to "engage them intellectually and help lead them to follow their own passions -- it is a great honor to be able to do that with these kids."