Mentor Teacher for UA Students Takes Top State Honors

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Tim Carter, from left, and Marcia Imbeau present an award for mentor teacher of the year to Tina Wright, a kindergarten teacher at George Elementary School in Springdale. Carter serves as executive secretary for the Arkansas Association of Teacher Educators, which gave the award, and Imbeau is an associate professor at the University of Arkansas.

Tina Wright, a kindergarten teacher who mentors University of Arkansas students, was named Outstanding Mentor Teacher for 2011 by the Arkansas Association of Teacher Educators in September.

A longtime mentor teacher to students in the Master of Arts in Teaching program in childhood education, Wright works at George Elementary School in Springdale. She is the kind of teacher "who models the very best kind of professional we want all of our interns to aspire to be," Michael Daugherty wrote in a nomination letter. Daugherty is head of the department of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education and Health Professions.

The college places interns in schools in Washington, Benton and Madison counties in its five-year M.A.T. program and its four-year Bachelor of Science in Education program. Mentor teachers do not receive payment; schools receive funds based on the number of interns they accept with the money to be used for professional development activities.

"It is clear that Mrs. Wright does this important work because she believes she has a responsibility to give back to the profession, and we are very grateful to her for her service," Daugherty said.

This year, Wright has her 21st intern of her 18-year teaching career and will work with two more before the year's end, said Marcia Imbeau, an associate professor of special education who serves as university liaison with George Elementary.

"She is particularly good at taking the time necessary to be absolutely sure the intern understands what the expectations are for professional conduct at school, why a practice might be appropriate for the learning goals selected and particular resources that might be helpful in assisting the intern in successfully preparing to teach a lesson," Imbeau wrote.

Former students who worked with Wright said she valued them as fellow professionals and generously shared her classroom so that it was as much theirs as hers.