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The McPherson College teacher education faculty has selected two of their most innovative and creative students to receive the Kansas Department of Education “Teacher of Promise” award — Paula Carpenter and Ben Coffey.
The annual award is given in connection with the Teacher of the Year program. Every Kansas college and university has the opportunity to nominate two students for the award, who then are invited to a statewide workshop led by the Teacher of the Year finalists. Each recipient also is invited to attend the Teacher of the Year banquet in Wichita for recognition.
Carpenter, a junior from Wichita, plans to teach in an elementary school, possibly in the area of special education. Carpenter said she was both shocked and honored to receive the award, calling her dad to share the news right after she was told she received the honor.
Carpenter first recognized the desire to educate children in high school, where she went on an annual trip every summer to a Christian home for abused children in Colorado.
“I just loved how much of an effect I could have on their lives. I love the imprint I could have on them,” she said. “I want to do this. I want to influence someone’s life.”
In the classroom, Carpenter plans to use children’s natural curiosity to get them interested in their education. Prompting questions and letting children discover the answers is the key, she said.
“I want my kids to be able to learn in a fun way,” she said. “When students are having fun, they aren’t going to realize they’re learning. That’s what I want to do — a creative, hands-on approach.”
Coffey, a senior from McPherson, said receiving the award was a huge honor that he hadn’t expected, given the many outstanding future educators at McPherson College.
Coffey has been active in the education program at McPherson College: tutoring in the writing center for English as a second language, helping to offer free summer workshops on teaching methods, and taking leadership positions in the Teachers of Tomorrow club on campus.
His area of focus is secondary education with emphases on English and English as a second language. He said he loves working with teenagers, even though sometimes the results of that work aren’t seen until years after a student leaves the classroom.
“I think the teenage years are one of the most exciting times of your life. You can literally decide what you want to do for the rest of your life,” he said. “As a teacher of teenagers, you’re not harvesting crops, you’re planting seeds.”
The McPherson College teacher education faculty has selected two of their most innovative and creative students to receive the Kansas Department of Education “Teacher of Promise” award — Paula Carpenter and Ben Coffey.
The annual award is given in connection with the Teacher of the Year program. Every Kansas college and university has the opportunity to nominate two students for the award, who then are invited to a statewide workshop led by the Teacher of the Year finalists. Each recipient also is invited to attend the Teacher of the Year banquet in Wichita for recognition.
Carpenter, a junior from Wichita, plans to teach in an elementary school, possibly in the area of special education. Carpenter said she was both shocked and honored to receive the award, calling her dad to share the news right after she was told she received the honor.
Carpenter first recognized the desire to educate children in high school, where she went on an annual trip every summer to a Christian home for abused children in Colorado.
“I just loved how much of an effect I could have on their lives. I love the imprint I could have on them,” she said. “I want to do this. I want to influence someone’s life.”
In the classroom, Carpenter plans to use children’s natural curiosity to get them interested in their education. Prompting questions and letting children discover the answers is the key, she said.
“I want my kids to be able to learn in a fun way,” she said. “When students are having fun, they aren’t going to realize they’re learning. That’s what I want to do — a creative, hands-on approach.”
Coffey, a senior from McPherson, said receiving the award was a huge honor that he hadn’t expected, given the many outstanding future educators at McPherson College.
Coffey has been active in the education program at McPherson College: tutoring in the writing center for English as a second language, helping to offer free summer workshops on teaching methods, and taking leadership positions in the Teachers of Tomorrow club on campus.
His area of focus is secondary education with emphases on English and English as a second language. He said he loves working with teenagers, even though sometimes the results of that work aren’t seen until years after a student leaves the classroom.
“I think the teenage years are one of the most exciting times of your life. You can literally decide what you want to do for the rest of your life,” he said. “As a teacher of teenagers, you’re not harvesting crops, you’re planting seeds.”
