Lincoln, Nebraska – As part of National Teacher Recognition Day, five Thank You Teacher Award winners and the students that nominated them attend a breakfast held in the Nebraska Governor’s Mansion. Former Saratoga Elementary School student, Anycia DuBray-Biven, wrote the winning nomination for her teacher, Tim Oehring.
The Lincoln Journal-Star wrote a feature story about Oehring that begins, “Tim Oehring is Anycia DuBray-Biven’s Batman, a super hero minus the mask, a Saratoga Elementary School teacher who helped her realize this very important fact: she’s smart.”
“Anycia — now a fourth-grader at Belmont Elementary — is so smart, in fact, that she wrote a letter nominating her former teacher for a Thank You Teacher award. And he won.”
KFOR reports that Anycia describes her previous teacher: “Mr. O is the best teacher ever. He makes kids think that school is fun. He helped me to know that I am smart … He is my hero, he’s my Batman, he’s my super teacher.”
KLKN writes that Anycia’s grandmother, Vicki DuBray, said, “He touched the lives of all three kids but especially Anycia, the oldest. Mr. Oehring has done wonders for her. He’s helped to restore her self–esteem and for her to believe in herself again.”
DuBray told the Journal-Star that Oehring was a big part of her and her grandchildren’s life during a difficult year for the family. He gave the family books, watched siblings during after school programs, tutored reading over the summer and delivered groceries and gas vouchers from district programs.
Oehring is a Peru State alumnus and former Bobcat football player. This is his fourth year as a special education teacher at Saratoga Elementary School.
Ted Harshbarger, associate athletic director at Peru State, writes, “Tim was our first Academic All-American in 29 years and many of us knew he was bound to be a great teacher.”
Lincoln Public Schools told KLKN that 550 nominations were made by former students. This was a record number of nominations.
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