East Middle School teacher honored by the Iowa State Education Association

DES MOINES, IA (11/14/2012)(readMedia)-- Pam Anderson, a mathematics teacher at East Middle School in Sioux City, is a 2012 Excellence in Education Award runner-up. The award is sponsored by the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), the Iowa Farm Bureau, WHO Radio, and KDSM Fox 17. Anderson was chosen among a top field of almost 80 teachers-all nominated by colleagues, students, parents, and community members-because of the difference they make every day in the lives of Iowa's schoolchildren.

"This award is truly about recognizing the educators who work hard on a daily basis and rarely get the recognition they so richly deserve," said Tammy Wawro, president of the ISEA. The nominations we receive are a testament to the dedication and compassion Iowa educators have for their students and the communities in which they live. Clearly Iowa educators go above and beyond to help shape, and in many cases, to help change the lives of the students they teach."

Anderson plays a vital leadership role in school and in the community. In addition to teaching classes which her students say are "first rate" she is a tireless advocate for children who are less fortunate. Anderson helped her students organize Teens for Tots which raises money to purchase gifts for children in need, she fundraises for the local Headstart program and makes sure her homeroom brings in record numbers for the canned food drive each year. Anderson's students know she makes a difference in their lives and in the lives of others and say her insights and motivation are unequaled.

"It's clear that Pam's creativity, passion, and work in her community all combine to make a tremendous impact in her classroom and beyond and we applaud her achievement," said Denny Presnall, executive director of the Iowa Farm Bureau (IFBF). The Excellence in Education Award is about teachers like Pam who are invested in the lives of their students and go beyond what is expected to make an educational experience for their students exceptional.

Now in its 13th year, the Excellence in Education Award honors educators around the state who make a difference in the classroom. Nominations are solicited beginning in September through October, and were available at local county Farm Bureau offices and through the ISEA.

The winner of the 2012 Excellence in Education Award is Kathryn Woerner, a social studies teacher at Vernon Middle School in Marion. Woerner received $1,000 and her school received $1,000 courtesy of the Iowa Farm Bureau. There are three other runners-up who include; Daniel Leinen, a Vocational Agriculture teacher at the Harlan Community School District in Harlan; Tracey Matt, an English teacher at Albia Community High School, in Albia; and Rhonda Mohl, an alternative education teacher, at Northeast Alternative School, in Goose Lake. All runners-up received a $100 courtesy of the ISEA.

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The ISEA is a professional organization made up of more than 34,000 educators who are dedicated to supporting and protecting a quality education for all Iowa students. Great Education......It's an Iowa Basic!