Joe Shoemaker Elementary Teacher Annie Holyfield Receives National Teaching Award from EL Education

Annie Holyfield is the winner of this year’s Klingenstein Teacher Award from  EL Education! We are proud to announce that Annie Holyfield, a kindergarten and first grade teacher at Joe Shoemaker Elementary School in Denver received the 2018 Klingenstein Teacher Award from national non-profit EL Education. On November 11th, Holyfield joined Lee Klingenstein, EL Education’s founding Board Chair, on stage at the EL Education 2018 National Conference in Philadelphia to receive the award. In accepting the honor, Holyfield shared inspiring words with an audience of more than 1,200 educators: “Many people see 5, 6, and 7 year olds as cute and innocent, incapable of having a real impact in the world, almost powerless, until they are more mature, knowledgeable, older. I am here today to challenge that belief. I am here to tell you that even little kids are capable of meaningful contributions and able to make the world a better place. To quote Zoryn, one of my students ”You should see what we can do- we are magic!” Each year, an outstanding member of the EL Education community is selected by a committee of peers to receive the Klingenstein Teacher Award. Honorees exemplify the spirit and values of EL Education. The recipient receives a $5,000 prize and an invitation to lead a Master Class at its 2019 National Conference. In accepting the award, Holyfield reaffirmed her commitment to build exemplary character, drive outstanding academic achievement, and instill an ethic of “citizen scholarship” as an EL Education teacher. Her peers at Joe Shoemaker had this to say about Holyfield: “Annie’s magic seeps into all areas of learning in her classroom and beyond. Her exemplary character radiates throughout our building. Annie’s motivation and high expectations have driven academic achievement well beyond what others say is possible. The authentic and high quality products her students produce instill an ethic of citizen scholarship that is evident years later in her students, families, and of course, in each of us.” Educators nominated for the Klingenstein Teacher Award: Instill in students a desire to learn, take responsibility for their own education and achieve good academic results; Inspire students’ participation in good citizenship in its broader sense, in the classroom and throughout the school community; and Model the value of “we are crew, not passengers” in their classroom and throughout the school – a founding principle of EL Education.2