VFW Teacher of the Year

VFW Teacher of the Year
Posted on 03/01/2019
Mrs. Till is shown with her family, holding the plaque she received as VFW State of Indiana Elementary Teacher of the Year.Mrs. Stephanie Till has been named as the VFW State of Indiana Elementary Teacher of the Year. She was nominated for the National Citizenship Education Teacher Recognition Award by Dana Meyer, and is the candidate from VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Post 2689 in Huntington. Ms. Meyer is the mother of Ethan Meyer, a former student of Mrs. Till. Having been named the winner from the 5th District, Mrs. Till was subsequently chosen as the Elementary Teacher of the Year in Indianapolis. She will now move on to the national contest.  

Mrs. Till was absolutely honored and humbled that she was chosen. “This award is about the Veterans and not me. If they hadn’t said ‘Yes’ to serving our country, I would not be able to do what I love: teaching kindergarten students,” she commented. “Because of our veterans, I am free to teach five year olds the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star Spangled Banner, and the Flag Song that we wrote. I can hand them toy soldiers and tell them that during the moment of silence we celebrate at our school each day, I want them to think about all of the helpers in our country who work so hard to make our world a better place.”

Mrs. Till believes that patriotism is not lost on kindergarten students. She tells of a time that students said the Pledge of Allegiance too quickly, and one of her students began to frantically wave his hand. When called upon, the student said, “Mrs. Till, they said the Pledge of Allegiance way too fast. I don’t think they were thinking about what they were saying, and we should say it again.” She said that her heart began to sing, and she choked back tears as 16 little voices intentionally and deliberately said the Pledge again. “Teaching doesn’t get much better than that,” she observed.  

“The sacrifice that our veterans have made will never be lost, because each child that I teach will always know how proud I am to be an American.” You can see that pride in the pictures of her family that hang in her classroom, including her seven children and their families. You can’t help but notice two of her sons, First Sergeant Adam Jensen, and Major Gregory Jenson, who represent the very best of our nation. 

Congratulations, Mrs. Till. 


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