Congratulations to English teacher Jennifer Fey of Spring Hill, Texas. She has garnered a 2024 Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award. Photo credit: Cornal Independent School District. 

Congratulations are due to Texas educator Jennifer Fey. She has garnered a 2024 Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award.

Jennifer teaches English at Hill Country College Prep High School, a public school located in Spring Hill, Texas. She also partners with a History teacher to plan her lessons. In addition, she serves her school as the National Honor Society sponsor, the University Interscholastic League coordinator, the grade-level chair, a reading interventionist, and a teacher mentor

The honored educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned a Master’s degree in Reading Instruction from the University of West Florida, and a second Master’s degree in Public Administration from Troy University. Her career as an educator spans 12 years.

Jennifer strongly believes that incorporating project-based learning into her curriculum emphasizes the importance of the humanities subjects she teaches. The projects she incorporates are wide-ranging, from Greek and Shakespearean shadow puppet plays to trade route and revolutionary marketing plans. “The humanities give students a foundation in how to live and how to apply their skills ethically,” declares Jennifer. “By learning through authentic projects, students see how history and literature shape their world.”

Of the more than 700 teachers from across the state of Texas to be nominated for the 2024 Humanities Texas Outstanding Teaching Award, Jennifer is one of 15 to receive the honor. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize and an additional $1,000 for her school campus to be used for the purchase of instructional materials. Humanities Texas is associated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its mission is to advance education through programs that improve the quality of classroom teaching, to support libraries and museums, and to create opportunities for lifelong learning for all Texans.

Her selection for this award is not the only recognition Jennifer has received. In 2023, she was named a recipient for the KENS 5 EXCEL award for Comal Independent School District.