OSU College of Education to Host National, Oklahoma Teacher of the Year at Celebration of Teaching

Friday, April 23, 2010

First Lady Kim Henry to receive award from Oklahoma Teachers of the Year organization

The Oklahoma State University College of Education is hosting its 20th annual Celebration of Teaching today, Friday, April 23, in Stillwater. Educators and future educators from around the state will hear National Teacher of the Year Anthony Mullen and Oklahoma Teacher of the Year Brian M. Grimm speak and participate in breakout sessions covering a variety of relevant and exciting professional development topics. In addition, the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year (OKTOY) organization will present Oklahoma First Lady Kim Henry with its Vision Award.

Mullen, a retired New York City police captain turned special educator in Greenwich, Conn., will present the keynote address and Grimm, an English teacher at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, is scheduled to give the luncheon address.

Mrs. Henry and her husband Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry are expected to attend the luncheon where the OKTOY Vision Award will be presented. Since 2007, the OKTOY organization annually honors an individual whose foresight and wisdom have resulted in action to enhance the teaching profession.

Mullen was selected the 2009 National Teacher of the Year because of his innovative approach, community focus, and teamwork with other teachers. Mullen teaches ninth through 12th grade students at the ARCH School, an alternative school for secondary students with significant emotional or behavioral disabilities and a wide range of academic skills.

Providing passion, professionalism and perseverance are the keys to his drive as an educator. As Mullen explains, of all three: “passion is the noblest of the trio because it ignites a flame too bright to be ignored by students. A teacher must project passion in the classroom because this powerful emotion sparks the learning process in children and motivates them to remember key concepts and ideas.”  Mullen will be featured during the 9:00 a.m. morning session in the Student Union Theater. His keynote topic is “Recovering Lost Students.”

Grimm teaches English and chairs the English department at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa. He taught in several Texas school districts before coming to Will Rogers in 2004. Grimm believes strongly in a teacher’s ability to reach students: “Students must know that they are not a product of their environment but rather through education and empowerment, their environment becomes a product of their resolve to change.” Grimm is scheduled to speak during the luncheon. Grimm’s address is entitled “The Challenge of Change.”

In addition to the featured speakers, a variety of breakout sessions that cover relevant and interesting topics in education are offered. Senior elementary education candidates’ poster session will also be available for viewing.

The Celebration of Teaching is a unique opportunity for many of the state's outstanding classroom teachers and their students to meet the National and State Teachers of the Year, former Oklahoma Teachers of the Year, and others who are uniquely dedicated to education. The OSU College of Education has been the official chartered home of the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year organization since 1989.  

The Celebration is sponsored by the OSU College of Education and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Minority Teacher Recruitment Center. The College of Education Associates also support the event.

For more information about the Celebration of Teaching, please visit the event website, www.okstate.edu/education/celebration.