With the words of lifelong educator Lindley Stiles ringing throughout the ceremony, the Â鶹ӰԺ celebrated excellence in teaching by recognizing three faculty members, five K12 teachersÌýand 48 graduate students with "Best Should Teach Awards" in August.
The late Lindley and Marguerite Stiles established the Best Should Teach Initiative in 1996, and Stiles' inspiring maxim is inscribed on the School of Education Building: "To those who come, I leave the flame! Hold it as high as you can reach. If a better world is your aim, all must agree: ‘The Best Should Teach.' "
The 2016 Best Should Teach Gold Faculty Awards include: Christopher Braider, professor of French; Roseanna Neupauer, associate professor of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering; and Susan Jurow, associate professor of Education.
In addition, the awards also recognized 48 graduate student teachers and four of local school districts' K-12 teachers who embody the beliefs, behaviorsÌýand skills of exemplary teachers. The 2016 Best Should Teach Gold Teacher Awards include: Jennifer Gero, Â鶹ӰԺ Valley School District; Jess Harbison, St. Vrain Valley School District;ÌýVeronica Navarro, School District 27J; and Liesel O'Hagan, Adams 12.Ìý
The keynote speaker Daniel Solórzano examined how educators can enhance increasingly diverse learning environments in the guest lecture titled, "Using the Tools of Critical Race Theory and Racial Microaggressions to Examine Everyday Racism In and Out of the Classroom." Solórzano is professor of social science and comparative education at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his research uses a Critical Race Theory framework to study everyday racism inside and outside of the classroom.
The is managed by the Graduate Teacher Program in coordination with the School of Education, the College of Arts and SciencesÌýand the Graduate School.
