FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The annual National State Teachers of the Year Conference will take place July 9-16 at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale. Educators from across the United States, selected as Teachers of the Year in their respective states, will be attending with their co-workers, families and friends. The conference, begun in 1980, grew out of the Teacher of the Year Award Program initiated by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 that sought to recognize the tremendous role educators play in promoting the American Dream.

Dean Charles Stegman expressed his pleasure at the College of Education & Health Professions’ involvement in planning the conference in Arkansas. "It will be an excellent opportunity for faculty and teacher education interns in our MAT program to meet some of the best teachers in the country," he said.

Associate Dean Reed Greenwood said this year’s conference has an exceptional list of speakers and workshops. These include Phil Bigler, 1999’s Teacher of the Year, who will be on hand as a keynote speaker representing Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Washington, D.C.

The roster of speakers also includes Coach Houston Nutt, America Reads Director Carol Hampton Rasco, Pulitzer-Prize nominee and NPR commentator Forrest "Frosty" Troy, and West Point Professor of Psychology Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will also be present to publicly recognize the tremendous role teachers play in the lives of young people and to offer thanks to dedicated educators from communities across the nation.

The theme for this year’s conference, developed by the Planning Committee, is "One Child at a Time." A workshop series, led by experienced and award-winning educators elected as Teachers of the Year in their respective states, will provide teachers and educational enthusiasts the ammunition to make their classrooms dynamic and successful. Workshop topics range from the preparation of educators for school violence to the use of puppets in the classroom, the incorporation math and art, and "phonetic phollies," an exercise in reading education.

Area teachers, education graduates and interested citizens should plan to attend some of the week-long activities. To receive a sign-up form, contact the Chair of the Planning Committee and Arkansas NSTOY President, Jan Scholl, by phone or email: 501-983-9069 or jsnstoyar@aol.com. You may also direct inquiries to the College of Education & Health Professions at the University of Arkansas: 575-3138.