May 15, 2015: Semester Conclusions: The Mara Award and Inspiring Teachers

[As another semester winds to a close, a week’s series on some of the moments that have stood out to me and what conclusions I’d take away from them. Leading up to a weekend post on some of my summer and fall plans. Share your spring follow ups or summer/fall plans in comments, please!]

I’m honored and excited to be able to share here the fact that I’m the 2015 recipient of Fitchburg State University’s Vincent J. Mara Excellence in Teaching Award. I’ll be officially receiving it at Saturday’s Undergraduate Commencement, and wanted to share in this space both because I’m immensely proud, and because it gives me a chance to share a bunch of my past tribute posts (in no particular order) on meaningful teachers in my own life (besides the two amazing ones who raised me!):

1)      This one on great colleagues/writers who are also great writing teachers;

2)      This one on my favorite summer camp and the great history teacher behind it;

3)      This one on Sarah Sadowski and the Expanding Horizons program at FSU;

4)      This one on my grad school teachers and mentors, Miles Overall and Carolyn Karcher;

5)      This one on inspiring public school teachers, mine and overall;

6)      This one on perhaps the single best teacher I ever had, Proal Heartwell;

7)      This one on the most committed college educator I know right now, Jeff Renye;

8)      And this one on meaningful teachers from throughout my life.

I know you’ve got some inspiring teachers to share as well! Summer and fall plans this weekend,

Ben

PS. Thoughts on this semester conclusion? Ones of yours you’d share?