Extraordinary Educators

What does “student-led programming” mean for high school students? In Amber Heckart’s class, it means listening to the careers and opportunities that most excite her students, and finding opportunities to expose them to those companies and organizations.

Meet Jami Baumer, an educator who has focused her work on building personal student relationships in her work with Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG) at Davenport Central High School in Davenport, Iowa.

Consistent communication is key in creating a successful classroom environment for students and their families. Hannah Barnhart, a 5th Grade teacher at Christ the King School is known for prioritizing intentional communication with her families and shares some pointers from her tried and true system.

As a school psychologist in the Omaha Public Schools district, Jessica Riley provides staff with support to help students achieve academic success. She provides strategies to improve classroom productivity and identify students’ needs.

Mrs. Moore is well known for the fun she has in her classroom and seems to have "found her calling" in teaching. “If I didn’t have to make money to live, I would volunteer my time to teaching, I love it so much,” she says.

So how does someone starting a brand new school accomplish an engaged, aligned team? For Susan Toohey, it started by bringing everyone around one table to create a school together.

Starting out as a first-year teacher can be overwhelming, but when you start at a school with a built-in support system of fellow educators, it makes all the difference.

A second grade teacher taught the Alpaca team the most important question we ask at our weekly staff meeting.

This is the brilliant work that doesn’t show up on a teacher’s job description.This is the innovation that we don’t hear about in news articles about teachers and schools.This is the untold work of a teacher who found an incredible way to get kids talking.

This month’s featured teacher is Leigh Dunn from Willowdale Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska. Ms. Dunn is known for her creativity in the classroom, so the October pack was a home run for her class!