The National Teachers Hall of Fame honors high school English teacher Jeff Baxter of Kansas

It is always gratifying to see a colleague recognized for outstanding contributions to the teaching profession. One such teacher is Jeff Baxter, a high school English teacher from Kansas who was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) this past June.

Jeff earned his Bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education from the University of Kansas in 1971, and his Master’s degree in Secondary Education from the same institution in 1976. He also earned a Juris Doctorate from the Washburn University School of Law in 1985, and he completed post-graduate work at the University of Missouri.

Now 70 years of age, Jeff has spent a total of 30 years as a classroom educator. He currently teaches 12th grade Advanced Placement Literature and Composition at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Johnson County, Kansas.

Jeff believes working with young people is the noblest profession there is. “By helping them appreciate the value of language, they develop problem-solving habits that make them lifelong learners,” he once declared.

For his excellence as an educator, Jeff has earned many accolades. In 2014, he was named the Kansas Teacher of the Year, and in 2017 he was named Inspirational Teacher of the Year by the Blue Valley West Honor Society. He is also a fellow of the National Writing Project, through which he has presented hundreds of writing workshops to middle and high school teachers and college professors throughout the Midwest. He’s also the 2015 Kansas Global Education Fellow, working with teachers internationally. In fact, in 2015 this amazing educator traveled to South America to work with Peruvian children and teachers.

Jeff is also the author of a book entitled More than One Way Home, a memoir about overcoming setbacks and finding hope. It’s about Jeff’s personal journey overcoming chronic depression and the resultant obesity that developed because of his inability to deal with the deaths of two important individuals in his life. You can find his book on amazon.com.