Teacher of the Year
Last week at Harding Academy’s annual Faculty/Staff Dinner, Laura received the “Pat Bowie Award for Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher of the Year.” That’s a mouthful!
She was quite surprised, and quite excited, too. It is quite an honor, and she was happy to receive it. In case you are wondering, Early Childhood at Harding refers to everything below first grade, including kindergarten. Here is what was said about her during the presentation:
This teacher began teaching at Harding Academy 18 years ago. When she first entered the classroom, she was timid and fearful of interaction with the parents of her students. As the years have passed, her students and colleagues have watched her grow into a master teacher who makes learning come alive for her students. Active learning has always played a large role in her teaching. While there are many examples that we could give, the following one is representative of her teaching style. If you visit her classroom, you may see students dressed as astronauts. As the oldest kid in the room, their teacher is certain to wear spray painted 2 liter bottle “air tanks” on her back as well as a space suit that includes aluminum foil boots. During that day, her students may become the planets of the solar system and physically orbit around someone who is designated as the sun. These students are blessed to work with a Godly woman who loves to teach them about the Bible and the love of Jesus. As a colleague, she is the one to go to if you are having any type of technical problem. In fact, she is always there if you need help of any kind. When she is not at Harding, you may find her hanging out with her family, riding her horses, or visiting Disneyworld. Our 2013 Pat Bowie Early Childhood Teacher of the Year is Mrs. Laura Burns.
And here she is with the other award winners, some of the special guests (namely, Mrs. Betty Bates and Mrs. Jewel Sisson), and the school president:
Needless to say, I was quite proud of her, too. I think she deserves it every year. But then I might be just a little biased. Maybe.
