Lee’s Summit NEA member earns
Missouri Teacher of the Year honor

Lee’s Summit NEA member Susanne Mitko is the 2009-2010 Missouri Teacher of the Year.

Mitko “brings the world to her students” and helps them connect world history to their own lives, according to an announcement from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Beginning her sixth year of teaching seventh-grade social studies at Bernard Campbell Middle School in the Lee’s Summit School District, she has taught for a total of 18 years.

In her current assignment, Mitko teaches the history of the Eastern Hemisphere, from Stone Age time to AD 1500, with a special emphasis on world religions and cultures. She works with a wide range of students, from those with special needs to those preparing for International Baccalaureate studies.

“I am part salesman, part thespian and part cheerleader as I strive to spark my students’ interests and engage them in the world. Social studies is the vehicle through which I teach children about our world and prepare them for their futures,” she wrote in her Teacher of the Year application.

Mitko tutors struggling students in after-school help sessions, and she mentors new and aspiring teachers. She earned her master’s degree at Avila University in Kansas City (1998) and has maintained her relationship with Avila as an adjunct instructor for both graduate and undergraduate students.

She began college with the goal of becoming a lawyer, but she shifted direction and chose to become a teacher. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1985 and her education degree in 1987 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The State Board of Education will honor Mitko and the five state finalists in the Teacher of the Year program at a Nov. 16 banquet in Jefferson City. Each teacher will receive cash awards and other prizes.

The Missouri Teacher of the Year program is conducted by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with major funding provided by the Boeing Company, St. Louis. Mitko automatically becomes Missouri’s candidate for the National Teacher of the Year program, sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers.

Four MNEA members rank among the top five runners up in state Teacher of the Year competition Missouri NEA members dominated the list of finalists in the state’s Teacher of the Year competition. Six finalists altogether competed for the honor. The following four members, along with Mitko, were among the finalists.   AnnMarie Gilman, a science teacher (grades 9-12) at Lafayette High School, Rockwood School District   Pamela Hessee, a K-12 science teacher in the West Plains School District   Tracy Pruitt, a third-grade teacher at Truman Elementary School, Hickman Mills School District, Kansas City   Zac Thurwalker, an elementary physical education teacher (K-6) at Highland Elementary School, Riverview Gardens School District The new Teacher of the Year and the other finalists will be formally honored by the State Board of Education at a Nov. 16 banquet in Jefferson City. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education conducts the Missouri Teacher of the Year program with financial support provided by The Boeing Company, St. Louis.

sb, fall '09