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Benkelman teacher Educator of the Year
BENKELMAN, Neb. — A teacher from Benkelman chosen as the 2018 Educator of the Year is following in her father’s footsteps - literally.
Peggy Parker, a business education teacher at the Dundy County-Stratton High School, has taught at DCS for more than 30 years and is currently teaching in the same classroom where he father taught industrial technology. On May 7, in a surprise presentation at a student banquet, she was awarded the 2018 Educator of the Year award by the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce Education committee.
The Educator of the Year award was established in 1998 with a monetary gift by Allen Strunk, former owner and publisher of the McCook Gazette, to the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce. Each year, students, colleagues, and community members from Dundy, Chase, Hitchcock, Hayes, Red Willow, Frontier, and Furnas counties in Nebraska, and Decatur and Rawlins counties in Kansas can nominate outstanding teachers for the cash award.
A 1981 graduate of DCS and a long-time sponsor of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Parker said she was humbled and honored by the award.
“I think I’ve always been a teacher, even before I actually became one,” she said. Maybe it’s in her DNA: when playing with neighborhood kids as a child, she was always the one who pretended to be a teacher, Parker said.
The best part about being an educator for Parker is “seeing the kids you taught become successful, in whatever manner that means for each student, and be productive citizens,” she said. Getting an unexpected note from a former student thanking her also makes her feel like she’s made a difference, Parker said.
Having a positive impact on her students makes it all worthwhile, she said, and part of the job.
“It’s why teachers teach, or at least why I teach,” she said.
According to autobiographical information submitted as part of the selection process, Parker recognizes that education today must also include teaching students to be respectful, responsible, courteous, productive, prompt, prepared, resourceful and ethical. In addition to her teaching duties, she is involved with many civic and cultural activities, including serving as the Dundy County Stratton Alumni Association President and as a Dundy County Fair volunteer.
The McCook Chamber’s education committee selects from nominations an educator who motivates students to reach their highest potential, demonstrates a commitment to teaching and compassion to students and shows involvement in the community.