National Teachers Hall of Fame honors reading specialist Connie Bagley

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Connie Bagley

National Teachers Hall of Fame honors reading specialist Connie Bagley of San Marcos, Texas

Many excellent classroom teachers have been singled out for special recognition by the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF). One of these is Connie Bagley, an elementary school reading specialist from San Marcos, Texas.

Connie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Southwest Texas State University in 1972, and also completed some post-graduate work there. She was also a graduate of Southern Methodist University’s Dyslexia Program in 2000.

Since 1993, Connie has worked as a K-5 Dyslexia Reading Specialist at Crockett Elementary in San Marcos, Texas. San Marcos is a suburb of Austin, the state’s capital city.

Connie’s career as an educator has spanned a total of 39 years. “What I do matters. What all educators do matters,” Connie once declared. “It is my job to instill pride and confidence along with the knowledge necessary to be a productive, well-rounded citizen.”

For her dedication to the teaching profession, Connie has earned many accolades. In 2017, she garnered a Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Teaching Award. The prestigious award, given to only two educators each year throughout the country, recognizes exemplary leadership and innovative efforts in classroom instruction for students who struggle to read because of learning differences and visual disabilities. The same year, Connie was named a runner-up in the Penguin Random House Teacher Awards for Literacy. In 2013, she was named a Texas Teacher of the Year finalist by the Texas Association of School Administrators.

And this year, she was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. The NTHF is located in Emporia, Kansas. This nonprofit organization recognizes and honors exceptional teachers, encourages excellence in teaching, and preserves the rich heritage of the teaching profession in the United States. The first induction of five teachers was held in June 1992. To date, 130 teachers have been inducted. To learn more about this organization, click on NTHF.