Congratulations to
National Teaching Award Nominee
Elizabeth Oosterheert
Pella Christian Grade School, Pella, Iowa
Student Nomination Story
Mrs. O is my English, Literature and Theater teacher. I started having her in 7th grade, where I learned what a great teacher she is. She stays up every night, most nights never sleeping at all, to write mentor texts for our class. She became my homeroom teacher this year, where I learned even more how sweet she is. She poured her heart into our 8th grade play, Merlin’s Fire. She taught me the story of Our Town and gave me a copy of the play so I can learn the life lessons over and over again. Mrs. O brings cookies every Friday for her Writing Workshop classes and brought candy canes for a month leading up to Christmas. She helps me express myself through my writing and helped me understand that I don’t have to fit in, I can just be me. Even with her limp from since she was a child, Mrs. O has never lost faith in Jesus or her students. She has already begun crying because my class is going off to high school this year. She is an inspiration to my entire class.
Sydney Van Arendonk
To see more exceptional teacher nominees, visit The Honor Roll.