SPRINGFIELD, Mo., April 15, 2020 — Drury University’s commitment to outstanding teacher education was affirmed recently as Springfield Public Schools announced its 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year finalists. Three out of the five award finalists are graduates of Drury’s School of Education and Child Development.
The five educators were selected from over 220 nominations. The Teacher of the Year will be announced soon, and all five finalists will be recognized in August at the annual banquet hosted by the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools.
Over the past five years, 15 of 25 SPS Teacher of the Year finalists have been Drury graduates.
This year, two finalists earned master’s degrees from Drury’s College of Graduate Studies. A third earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Drury. The three teachers are:
Sequiota Elementary kindergarten teacher Michelle Slominsky and Central High School Spanish teacher Armando Johnson are the remaining finalists.
Nominated teachers submit an essay describing their philosophy of teaching, which a selection committee uses to choose candidates for face-to-face interviews. To be eligible, a teacher must have worked for at least four years at SPS.
Drury’s School of Education and Child Development prepares highly effective teachers and leaders for work in schools throughout the Ozarks and beyond. The school offers various teacher education programs to support learners in all stages of life. These include traditional undergraduate options, as well as evening and online tracks offered at Drury’s Springfield and St. Robert campuses. For teachers looking to take their professional skills to the next level, nine Master in Education programs are offered by Drury’s College of Graduate Studies.
For more information about undergraduate and graduate education programs at Drury, visit: www.drury.edu/education.
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