NSU to host Celebration of Teaching - March 1

(Tahelquah, Okla.)--Area high school students contemplating a career in education will have the opportunity to hear from one of the top educators the 2011 National Teacher of the Year, Michelle Shearer.

This is part of the Celebration of Teaching which will be held on March 1 at Northeastern State University.

The purpose of the Celebration of Teaching is to help public school students, especially minorities, have early positive experiences with a university and those who educate teachers, said Dr. Deborah Landry, interim dean of the NSU College of Education, We we want to encourage these students to become teachers.

Landy said NSU hosts the Celebration of Teaching each year because it is informative and inspirational to students and teachers.

We are eager to share an exciting day with middle school and high school students who aspire to careers in the field of education, she said. "We hope they make NSU their choice to pursue their goals of being educators."

The celebration, which runs from 9:45 a.m. 1:45 p.m., includes a public keynote address by Shearer as well as a speech from Kristin Shelby, 2012 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. All teachers of the year from individual Oklahoma school districts also receive invitations to the event.

Shearer teaches advanced placement chemistry at Urbana High School in the Frederick County Public Schools system in Ijamsville, Md. In her 10 years at UHS, she has taught all levels of chemistry. Previously, she taught high school chemistry and mathematics at the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick.

She reaches out to those traditionally underrepresented in scientific fields, including students with special needs and those from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Her teaching methods rely heavily on real-life applications of scientific concepts.

Shelby teaches fourth grade at Sallie Gillentine Elementary School in Hollis, OK. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and has been teaching for 16 years.

Invited participants also receive a luncheon and attend workshops with faculty from NSU and partner institutions.

These workshops for students and teachers are hands-on and interactive," Landry said. They all promoting the rewarding experiences of learning and teaching. There will also be entertainment and an opportunity to learn more about college life.

Schools attending include Will Rogers College High School and Central High School of Tulsa, Liberty Public Schools, Oktaha Public Schools, Pryor High School, Westville High School and Union High School.

The event is possible through a special project grant from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Minority Teacher Recruitment Center.

For more information about the Celebration of Teaching call Landry at 918-444-3701.