Amanda Petersen
Florence J. Clark Award for Excellence in Middle School Teaching
Amount Awarded: $5,000
About the Award:
The Award for Excellence in Middle School Teaching was established by Florence J. Clark, a former middle school teacher and counselor at Irving Middle School who retired as assistant principal at Mickle Middle School in 1985 after 35 years of teaching and administration. Florence believed that middle school teachers have unique qualities and deserve special recognition. This Award will annually recognize two outstanding middle school teachers in the Lincoln Public Schools. Middle school teachers honored by the award demonstrate excellence in middle school teaching and work toward continuous improvement in student achievement and development.
Nominated By: Sawyer Chambers, Former Coworker
Please describe why you believe the nominee is an outstanding middle school teacher. Amanda is one of those people that will do anything to help others. For example, last year our team leader became absent all of 2nd quarter due to Covid. Amanda took over this job without hesitation or compensation. Amanda is now the team leader of an 8th-grade team at Schoo. She took this job knowing that 2 experienced members of her team were leaving. Amanda had a big hand in designing the 8th-grade English curriculum. She spent countless hours designing, implementing and revising lessons. She diligently reads students' work and provides feedback on hundreds of essays at a time. She is also the best student advocate. There is not a single student that would have a bad word to say about her. They say students don't remember what you say, but how you made them feel. I believe that all of Amanda's students felt truly heard, appreciated, and cared for.
Describe how the nominee has contributed to the growth and development of another staff member at their school. Amanda led the SCIP committee at Schoo. This included writing and implementing the school goals for the year.