With the words of lifelong educator Lindley Stiles ringing throughout the ceremony, the University of Colorado Boulder celebrated excellence in teaching by recognizing three faculty members — including Susan Jurow, associate professor of education — five K12 teachers, and 48 graduate students with “Best Should Teach Awards” on Aug. 25.
The late Lindley and Marguerite Stiles established the Best Should Teach Initiative in 1996, and Stiles’ inspiring maxim is inscribed on the School of Education Building: “To those who come, I leave the flame! Hold it as high as you can reach. If a better world is your aim, all must agree: ‘The Best Should Teach.’”
The 2016 Best Should Teach Gold Faculty Awards include: Christopher Braider, professor of French, Roseanna Neupauer, associate professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering, and our own Susan Jurow.
“Students recognize that Professor Jurow invests time in crafting her classes so they are challenging and engaging,” said Dean Kathy Schultz. “She creates powerful learning opportunities for her students and pays close attention to her teaching practice. In addition, she provides incredible opportunities and mentorship for her students in her community-based projects.”
In addition, the awards also recognized 48 graduate student teachers and four of our partner districts’ public teachers who embody the beliefs, behaviors, and skills of exemplary teachers. The 2016 Best Should Teach Gold Teacher Awards include:
- Jennifer Gero, Boulder Valley School District
- Jess Harbison, St. Vrain Valley School District
- Veronica Navarro, School District 27J
- Liesel O'Hagan, Adams 12
The keynote speaker Daniel Solórzano examined how educators can enhance increasingly diverse learning environments in the Best Should Teach guest lecture titled, “Using the Tools of Critical Race Theory and Racial Microaggressions to Examine Everyday Racism In and Out of the Classroom.” Solórzano is professor of social science and comparative education and the director of the Center for Critical Race Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research uses a Critical Race Theory framework to study everyday racism inside and outside of the classroom.
The Best Should Teach initiative is managed by the Graduate Teacher Program in coordination with the School of Education, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate School.
View the Best Should Teach 2016 Photo Album
Related Faculty: Susan Jurow