Elementary school teacher Krystal Colbert named Iowa’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Des Moines register

It is always a pleasure for me to share the stories of exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work in the profession. One of these is Krystal Colbert, an elementary school teacher from Mitchellville, Iowa, who has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.

Krystal teaches second graders at Mitchellville Elementary School in the Southeast Polk Community School District. She inaugurated her teaching career at Ballard West Elementary, but she has spent the past 14 years teaching for the Southeast Polk School District. Her career as an educator spans a total of 16 years.

In her classroom, Krystal says she places her greatest emphasis on the importance of building a positive and caring classroom community where all students feel loved, respected, and valued. She is passionate about student-centered learning and collaborative problem-solving. And she believes in the power of instilling a growth mindset in all of her students, helping them to consider challenges and obstacles as opportunities for growth and success. “Life is really hard for children and school can be hard as well,” asserts Krystal. “So I think it’s really important that we teach them that they can do hard things, they can face those challenges, they can step out of their comfort zone and they can achieve greatness when they do not let the fear of failure or the fear of making mistakes get in their way,” she continued.

Within her district, Krystal serves as a Model Teacher and as a mentor teacher for her colleagues. She plans and implements professional development opportunities as a member of the Teacher Leadership Committee. As a mentor teacher, she also works closely with student teachers who are pursuing a degree in education. As if all this were not enough, she also serves as a member of the 7 Habits Lighthouse Team, where she organizes and implements professional learning opportunities for her co-workers.

Krystal earned her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from Viterbo University.

Kristine Yulich, an elementary school teacher from Kansas, has earned a prestigious Milken Educator Award. Photo Credit: Kristine Becker

There are many exceptional teachers working in our nation’s schools who are deserving of recognition. One of these is Kristine Yulich, an elementary school teacher from Topeka, Kansas. She has garnered a prestigious 2022-2023 Milken Educator Award.

Kristine teaches fourth grade at Logan Elementary School. In her classroom the honored educator personalizes student learning through small-group instruction, provides opportunities for student choice, and embraces technology, incorporating multiple adaptive learning platforms to enable her students to master concepts at a pace comfortable for each one.

Kristine loves to create immersive environments where students can have fun while they are learning. For a unit on the judicial system, she created a simulated courtroom, with students taking on the roles of judge, plaintiff, defendant, jurors, and attorneys. She organized mock elections to represent a national presidential election. She built an imitation campsite in the middle of her classroom where her students could conduct science experiments. And she created a spy headquarters with black lights and glow-in-the-dark accessories. During the pandemic, she dressed like a pioneer traveling along the Oregon Trail, and asked her students to help her make choices for finding food, securing shelter, and surviving the perils of the arduous journey.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Kristine has worked on curriculum, grade card realignment, and social committees. She created her school district’s first elementary STEM Fair, building lessons and programs that her colleagues brought to life in their own classrooms. And as if all this were not enough, she mentors first-year and student teachers, helping them to build their professional skills and competencies.

Kristine earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Emporia State University in 2013. She earned her Master’s degree in Instructional Coaching with a concentration in elementary STEM in 2016. She also earned her National Geographic Educator Certification.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to a $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 3,000 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. To learn more about the program, click on Milken Educator Awards.

Former elementary and middle school educator Janis Barr served in high positions in the prestigious organization Delta Kappa Gamma, International. Photo Credit: DKG

Many outstanding educators have been inducted into Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG), International, a prestigious professional organization that promotes the professional success of women educators.

DKG admits members who work together to improve professional preparation, to recognize women’s work in the teaching profession, and to fund scholarships for teachers who need support to improve their professional skills.

Janis taught at the elementary and junior high levels for 15 years. She served as the Title I/EIA/SIP resource teacher and as an instructional media coordinator where she started a new school library and two computer labs. Janis also served as an administrative assistant/counselor at the junior high level for two years and an elementary principal for 11 years. Working for the State of California, Janis was a member of the California Technology Assistance Project Steering Committee, a technology trainer, and a grant reader and writer. She also served on the Administrative Credentials Program Advisory Board for Fresno Pacific University and Chapman College.

This exemplary educator has been a member of DKG for 33 years. She served as Treasurer and President of Epsilon Psi Chapter in Area XVII, and Vice President and President of Zeta Iota Chapter in Area I in California. At the state level, she has served as an Area Director; a member and Chairwoman of the Communications Committee; Chairwoman of the Bylaws Committee; State Second Vice President; State President; and a California state representative to the chartering of Japan in 2012. Finally, at the International level, Janis has been on the Leadership Development Committee; trained incoming state presidents from the US, Latin America, and Japan; and she was the 2018 International Elections Committee Chairwoman and Steering Committee Co-Chair of the 2019 Southwest Regional Conference; and she currently serves as the Southwest regional director.

Janis earned her Bachelor’s degree from California State University, Long Beach. She earned her Master’s degree in Administrative Services from Fresno Pacific University. She also completed coursework at the University of Uppsala in Sweden.

Kindergarten teacher Amber Nichols has been named West Virginia’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Marshall University

It is always my pleasure to shine a spotlight on outstanding educators who have earned accolades for their work in the profession. One of these is Amber Nichols, a kindergarten teacher from Morgantown, West Virginia. She has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.

Amber earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Shepherd University in Shepherdsontown, West Virginia, in 2001. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from West Virginia University.

In a career that spans 21 years, the honored educator, who is a military wife, has taught in Arizona and Pennsylvania in addition to her current stint in West Virginia. She now teaches at Eastwood Elementary School in the Monongalia County School District in Morgantown.

In her classroom, Amber strives to create an environment in which all students feel safe, loved and appreciated. She says her teaching mantra is, “We are here for the kids, and we have each other.” Social and emotional development and academic achievement are the rigorous goals she sets for each child in her class. Amber also has background in teaching special education. In fact, she is a strong advocate for students with disabilities, especially those with medical differences. It is her distinct belief that, with the appropriate supports, all students can.

“I am passionate about teaching because it creates an opportunity to impact lives in a way no other profession can,” Amber declares. “My goal is to always foster a creative, inviting and welcoming atmosphere in my classroom that makes every student feel valued and pushes them to be their very best every day,” she continues.

In addition to her work with young students, Amber is an active member of her school’s leadership and curriculum teams. She is also a behavior intervention team member, a mentor teacher, and a co-operating teacher for both interns at West Virginia University and high school students at Monongalia County Technical Education Center.

As her state’s Teacher of the Year, Amber will receive a vehicle from Toyota Motor Manufacturing of West Virginia to use for the year; $5,000 from both Highmark West Virginia and the Horace Mann Companies; a $1,000 classroom grant from the West Virginia Education Association; a two-night stay at Tygart Lake State Park; a $250 Amazon gift card from West Virginia Professional Educators; and $500 from the American Federation of Teachers, West Virginia.

To read more about Amber, click on this link to a podcast by Leaders of Literacy containing the transcript of an interview with her.