(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – Selina Meyer, a teacher of students with functional mental disabilities at Indian Trail Elementary in Jefferson County, is the 2007-08 Special Education Teacher of the Year.
The award is presented each year by the Department of Education and the Kentucky Council of Exceptional Children (KYCEC) to an outstanding special needs teacher and provides recognition of the work done to help students reach high levels of achievement. The runners-up are Sandy Anderson, a teacher at the McCracken County Alternative School, and Tiffanie Keath, a teacher of students with learning behavior disorders at Mt. Sterling Elementary in Montgomery County.
Meyer earned a bachelor’s degree and Rank II in Moderate/Severe Disabilities from the University of Kentucky. She has been a teacher at Indian Trail Elementary for seven years and is a member of the Kentucky Council of Exceptional Children. Meyer serves as a mentor teacher and a part-time instructor at the University of Louisville.
Meyer describes her teaching activities as rewarding.
“Knowing that you have made a connection with a child whom others think is lost is an unbelievable, indescribable feeling … once this connection is made, you are on your way to unlocking many, many other doors that will reveal the amazing people that our children are and their potential to become amazing adults.”
School districts nominate individuals for the award. The Teacher of the Year will receive a combination of awards, which include a $500 gift basket from the Department of Education, $1,500 in cash from the KYCEC and Kentucky Colonel recognition. Runners-up receive a $250 gift basket from the department, $250 in cash from KYCEC and Kentucky Colonel recognition. The winner and runners-up also receive free registration for the KYCEC fall conference in Louisville. Meyer also will be Kentucky’s nominee for the National CEC Special Education Teacher of the Year award.
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