New program created to honor K-12 teachers
Nearly everyone remembers that teacher—the teacher whose enthusiasm and
dedication lit a crucial spark or opened up a new direction. All too often,
these special, memorable educators go unrecognized in a field that typically
offers few material rewards. Under a new program developed by the College's Office of Student Life and the Department of Education, and jointly
funded by the Offices of the President and Provost, Dartmouth students will
be able to provide that recognition by nominating outstanding kindergarten
through 12th grade teachers for an award to be presented at Dartmouth's
commencement exercises.
Under the program, students will be given an opportunity to submit an essay
nominating an influential teacher in the fall of their senior year. A student
committee, with help from faculty and administrators, will review the
nominations and select four honorees. The College will then host the four
recipients at commencement, where they will be honored with an award and a
special reception. Each teacher will receive $3,000, as well as a $2,500 award
for his or her school.
The idea for the program grew out of a June 2005 New York Times
op-ed by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and commentator Thomas L. Friedman.
Friedman wrote of his experience as the commencement speaker at Williams
College in Massachusetts. There, he learned about the Olmsted Prize for
Excellence in Secondary School Teaching, an award that Williams has given to
secondary school teachers since 1984.
Hany Farid, professor of computer science, was galvanized by the
idea. He approached the administration with the proposal and it was met with
enthusiasm. "This is a chance to think about the importance of teaching
and to help raise the profile of the profession," says Farid.
"Dartmouth prides itself on being a teaching college; this is a way for a
well-known institution of higher learning to highlight the importance of
teaching."
Provost Barry
Scherr says, "Recognizing elementary and secondary school teachers is
vital to a school like Dartmouth where so much of the emphasis has always been
on teaching and education. The heroic, and often unappreciated, labors of
primary and secondary school teachers have inspired many of our students.
Through this program we want, even if in a small way, to express our gratitude
for those efforts."
With the help of Dean of Student Life Holly Sateia, Instructors of Education
Jay Davis and Janet Zullo, and
several students, the idea is being developed into a program that can begin
with the nominating process this fall. According to Davis, "The gap
between the importance of the role that K-12 teachers play and recognition by
our society is enormous. To have high profile institutions validating the work
of its own undergraduates' teachers sends a critical message about the
importance of teachers."
Benjamin Taylor '07, who was also inspired by the Friedman op-ed, joined
Sateia, Davis, Zullo, and other interested students in developing the proposal.
"When I was in high school, I had one teacher who made a huge
difference," says Taylor. "His influence, and the direction that he
pushed me in is probably one of the key reasons I'm at a school like Dartmouth.
This teacher let me know that there's a lot more out there."
By GENEVIEVE HAAS
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