One of the toughest categories in the Youth Journalism International Excellence in Journalism contest for judges is the Journalism Educator of the Year. It’s inspiring to read testimonials from students who recognize the greatness in their teachers, and tough to narrow it down to a single person. This year’s winner is Jill Cook, a 20-year veteran whose dedication to her students in Brookfield, Wis., U.S.A., helped convince judges to award her one of our most prestigious prizes. Reporter Lisa Sink of the Brookfield Patch, an online newspaper, wrote a great piece about Cook. A little bit of it is pasted below, with a link to the whole story:
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Photo courtesy of Jill Cook
Brookfield, Wis. teacher Jill Cook, |
Brookfield Central Teacher Named Journalism Educator of the Year
The caller from Connecticut was talking about the student editors at Tyro, the school newspaper that Cook advises.
“I thought she was calling for a reference,” Cook said. “I said, ‘They’re all great kids, they’re really hardworking.'”
But Jackie Majerus wasn’t calling about the students. Unbeknownst to Cook, the youth had nominated Cook in an international youth journalism contest, and she had been selected as 2011 Journalism Educator of the Year.
“It was a total shock to me,” she said. “I was humbled beyond belief. It is inspiring to be recognized by your students because they are the reason we are here and we stay in this profession.”
Read the whole story here: http://tinyurl.com/6xo2xfv
