Great American Teacher Awards
Teachers who bring learning to life can make a significant impact on their students. They move beyond today's lessons and inspire students to love learning.
In an effort to recognize and honor exemplary teaching that is challenging, innovative and creative, Great American Financial Resources®, Inc. is proud to support the Ron Clark Academy and the Great American Teacher Awards.
The Ron Clark Academy received thousands of nominations and hundreds of applications representing school districts from across the country, and after an in-depth judging process, five finalists received classroom visits from Ron Clark and interviewed with a panel of judges. The winning teacher receives a $10,000 reward and other prizes as well as $5,000 for his/her school.
Congratulations to the 2009 Great American Teacher of the Year
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Dr. Aimée Burgamy | Art
Trickum Middle School, Lilburn, GA
Burgamy serves as the lead teacher for 25 middle school art teachers in Gwinnett County. Her room is filled with robots made from Coke cans, a colossal tree stump, kites, a reproduction of a Parisian gargoyle, an Egyptian pharaoh and loads of color. (Read more...)
Burgamy attributes her success with students to her "spirit of connectedness, enthusiasm for learning, and a uniqueness of what is taking place in her class." Dr. Burgamy is the winner of the National Art Association's Jr. National Art Honor Society Sponsor of the Year award and was recently named as her District Teacher of the Year. Burgamy received her Phd in Art Education from University of Georgia in 2005.
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For the full Great American Teacher Awards experience:
For more information about the award, visit www.ronclarkacademy.com |
| Meet the other phenomenal teachers who were finalists for the 2009 Great American Teacher of the Year... |
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Dr. George Hademenos | Physics
Richardson High School, Richardson, TX
Dr. H., as he's fondly referred to by his students, took an unconventional route to the classroom, leaving his job as a staff scientist with the American Heart Association 10 years ago in order to use his talents as a teacher. (Read more...)
Dr. H. brings physics to life by using a bed of nails to teach surface pressure, a swinging bowling ball and SpongeBob dolls to teach gravity, and robotic rovers to teach about missions to space. Over the past five years his students have had a 100% pass rate on the TAKS exam. Dr. H. defines a successful teacher as, "one who has the ability to place knowledge of content within the context of direct real-life applications." The Top 5 Bes for effective teaching according to Hademenos: 5. Be Prepared and Honest; 4. Be Caring; 3. Be Willing to accept and embrace a challenge; 2. Be Encouraging; and 1. Always Be Smiling. Dr. H. received his PhD in Physics from University of Texas at Dallas in 1991. He was named RISD STAR Teacher of the Year in 2007.
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Mr. Leslie Nicholas | Language Arts
Wyoming Valley West Middle School, Kingston, PA
After 27 years of teaching high school journalism, Nicholas asked to be moved to the middle school with the goal of helping to raise test scores. He says, "Teaching should be less about telling students what they see and more about reminding them to open their eyes." (Read more...)
He describes himself as a facilitator whose job is to engage students. He says, "I serve as a guide on the side, not the sage on the stage." Nicholas is a member of the National Teacher's Hall of Fame. Nicholas was Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year (Wilkes-Barre) in 2007 and Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year in 2004. In addition to teaching language arts and journalism, Nicholas also coached track for 17 years and was the announcer for football games for more than 22 years.
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Mrs. Terri Norwood | K-2 Primary School Teacher
Daniel Freeman School, Los Angeles, CA
Norwood creates songs about grammar, tap dances around the room, dresses up as numerous literary characters, and does whatever it takes to inspire her students. She says she was born to teach and describes teaching as her "gift." (Read more...)
Although Norwood teaches students with varying academic levels, she considers all of her students to be her "Star" students. Setting high expectations from the very beginning is key. Norwood started her own non-profit called Bright Stars Reading Club where she works with students every Saturday in order to help them develop and maintain a love and interest for reading, in turn, she watches them improve their reading skills.
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Mr. Todd "Hoss" McNutt | Robotics
Burton Middle School, Porterville, CA
McNutt's students built prosthetic devices for a classmate who was born without hands. His students (who are part of a program called Odyssey of the Mind) also manufactured a wheel chair for a young boy with cerebral palsy. (Read more...)
His students have completed numerous other service oriented projects. McNutt describes his own classroom as "a boiling point of ideas." And he says the real key to success with his students is making the connection between school lessons and real-life situations. McNutt was named Tullare County M.S. Teacher of the Year in 2007.
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