At every school board meeting, the board recognizes reasons to celebrate the Joplin school district. Within that list at the July meeting, last evening, school board president Jeff Koch included an explanation of my recent Missouri Teacher of the Year award from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. People present at the meeting applauded, and the meeting (in the video below) continued for another ninety minutes, working on the business of running a school district.
| Still, a few words at the end the meeting meant even more to me. In the last business of every school board meeting, there is an opportunity for members to share their takeaways from the meeting. Board member John Hird was the one who spoke up, saying, "I'd just like to say I think Dale winning the History Teacher of the Year, that's highly commendable, that's fantastic." Another member of the board, Brent Jordan then recalled, "My girls had him in class. He is a top-notch guy." | |
I sent a message to school board members following the meeting to share my appreciation for the support and recognition. Koch acknowledged, "We are happy to celebrate our own!" Jordan sent, "You epitomize what education should be! My kids were beyond blessed to have your instrument."
