Anastasia Dziekan & Lauren Flanagan receive annual Education awards!
The winners of The Barbara Olmo McInnis ’57 Prize this year was Anastasia Dziekan ’22 and Lauren Flanagan ’22. Established by Ray Hamilton ’57, this award is awarded annually to an outstanding student in teacher education.
Both Lauren and Anastasia did a stellar job in their student teaching semesters. Lauren’s student teaching supervisor, Elaine Savoy, had the following to say about her, “Lauren is extremely confident in the classroom, and she really is always prepared. I have seen her actively increase engagement in the classroom. She has also joined GSA meetings in the school which I think speaks to her confidence in herself and in supporting students inclusively. She even chooses to have a book on her desk as an example to students and at times has been a conversation piece. She simply shares her passion every day. She is personally invested in the content and the delivery which is refreshing for a student teacher at this point.”
With regard to Anastasia, Elaine said, “Anastasia is unbelievable to observe. One class I saw her teach was a “supported class” and it was a full house. Her voice (intonation) is almost rhythmic in the best ways. Unfortunately, I see many times teachers who do not bring the level of passion she has for literature to a classroom with typical and identified learners. One student in the class for whatever reason was not able to have an electronic device or even a book (supported by additional classroom staff). He was engaged during the lesson even though he could have simply turned his focus elsewhere. I truly believe it was her delivery of the lesson that kept his and other students’ positive learning behaviors consistent through the lesson. She reminds me of someone who should be in a college course. That is the type of teacher that can reach kids who struggle as well as those who share her passion for literature.”
The faculty and staff of the Education are excited to bestow this award to these two students and wish them the very best of luck in their teaching careers!