It’s less than a week into the new school year, and one Lawrence teacher has already earned an honor of a lifetime.

Lisa Ryan, a fourth- through sixth-grade teacher at Raintree Montessori School, was named Sunflower Bank’s Teacher of the Year on Tuesday night in a ceremony at Maceli’s, 1031 N.H.

Glynn Sheridan, president of Sunflower Bank, said Ryan’s commitment to her students both inside and out of the classroom, as well as a heartfelt recommendation by a former student, clinched the honors for her.

Ryan, he said, “stuck out a little bit more with the things she did with this student.”

Ryan said she was surprised she was named Teacher of the Year. “Couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I love what I do. It doesn’t seem like a job.”

For winning the honors, Ryan received a check for $500 from Sunflower Bank, as well as a plaque and gifts from several area businesses.

She was chosen from a field of nine teachers, all of whom won Teacher of the Month throughout the last school year. Sunflower Bank is sponsoring the Teacher of the Month recognition for the third year in a row.