Blue Ridge PBS - McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence

The 2010 McGlothlin Awards
for Teaching Excellence

Six of Southwest Virginia's best teachers have been selected as finalists for the 2010 McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence. Two winners, who will be awarded $25,000 each, will be announced April 13 at a ceremony conducted by the McGlothlin Foundation, Blue Ridge PBS and Radford University's College of Education and Human Development.

The awards ceremony, which is open to the public, begins at 6 p.m. in Bondurant Auditorium at Radford University's Preston Hall. It concludes an afternoon of activities marking the McGlothlin Celebration of Teaching, which starts at 4 p.m. at various locations on campus.

The finalists for the 2010 McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence are:

2010 Elementary Finalists
Jennifer Barger	Glenvar Elementary	Roanoke County Schools, VA
Larry Elkins	Price's Fork Elementary	Montgomery County Schools, VA
Allyson Willis	Watauga Elemenary	Washington County Schools, VA
2010 Secondary Finalists
Susan Hampton	Virginia Middle School	Bristol City Schools, VA
Sharon Hill	Glenvar Middle School	Roanoke County Schools, VA
Steven Sizemore	William Byrd Middle School	Roanoke County Schools, VA

"Honoring two outstanding teachers seems simple. However, as a volunteer judge, I have realized just how challenging a task this is," said Tracy Easterling, a 2008 McGlothlin Award winner from Bristol, Tenn. "The applicants are all outstanding, and have deeply touched the lives of their students and positively impacted the communities in which they live. The McGlothlin Award is so much more than an honor for teachers. It is a chance to change their lives and the lives of the students they teach. The knowledge, enthusiasm, and insight into the global community gained through international travel afforded by this award will continue to inspire generations of students."

The finalists, who were selected from 20 semi-finalists, were judged based on a standards-based lesson plan with a 20-minute video of themselves teaching the lesson in their classrooms. Judges will next conduct interviews to further evaluate the finalists. Criteria include classroom instruction, classroom management, interaction with students, and use of instructional technology such as computers, video, or digital cameras.

The purpose of the McGlothlin Awards, which are among the largest teaching prizes in the United States, is to recognize the best teachers for their work, reward them for it, and by so doing inspire others to the high qualities they exemplify. Each year two winners, an elementary and a secondary school teacher, are awarded $25,000 each, with the stipulation that $10,000 of the award be used for international travel. Providing international travel experiences is a significant goal of the McGlothlin Awards, offering winning teachers a chance to broaden their thinking and further enhance their excellence as professional educators. This year four McGlothlin finalists will also be recognized, each presented with a trophy and a check for $1,000.

McGlothlin Awards have fulfilled dreams of a lifetime for 20 teachers since 2000. Each of their stories has since taken on a life of its own, and continues to reap benefits for the personal lives, classrooms, and school districts of the winners.

"The McGlothlin Award changed my life. The changes were numerous and significant," said John Dodson, 2006 winner from Rocky Gap High School in Bland County, Va. "I met new people, traveled near and far, and of course, got to give my two cents worth of educational wisdom to a captive audience at the award ceremonies. This was important in and of itself, but the most long lasting effect has been in my credibility. I am taken seriously. I am now introduced by my fellow educators as a teacher and a McGlothlin winner."

Blue Ridge PBS has administered the McGlothlin Awards for more than 10 years. The awards are given annually by the McGlothlin Foundation of Bristol, Va. Further details about the McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence are available by calling 888.332.7788

Tom McGlothlin
"The McGlothlin Foundation's goal is for the awards to inspire recipients, their students, their peers, and indeed, their entire school. It is our intent to find the best teachers in today's classrooms around our region. We want to recognize their fine work, reward them for it, and by so doing inspire others to the high qualities they exemplify. Certainly, this award will recognize in a rather significant way what we consider one of the most important professions-and one with so many unsung heroes."

Please click below for additional information about how to apply for the McGlothlin Award:

Read about the Previous Winners:
2000 McGlothlin Award Winners	2001 McGlothlin Award Winners
2002 McGlothlin Award Winners	2003 McGlothlin Award Winners
2004 McGlothlin Award Winners	2005 McGlothlin Award Winners
2006 McGlothlin Award Winners	2007 McGlothlin Award Winners
2008 McGlothlin Award Winners	2009 McGlothlin Award Winners

Special thanks go to Tom McGlothlin and the McGlothlin Foundation for making this important recognition of teaching excellence possible. The McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence are administered by Blue Ridge PBS's Education Services Department.