FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 10, 2019
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Council Bluffs, Iowa – Kindergarten teacher Becky Liston received some extra affirmation this spring when she was named Teacher of the Year locally and nationally. She teaches at Edison Elementary School in the Council Bluffs Community School District. Previously, Liston taught in Nebraska City.
Liston is an alum of Peru State College’s Master of Education program in Curriculum and Instruction.
Teacher of the Year – Council Bluffs Community School District
The Daily NonPareill reports that Liston was named Teacher of the Year by the Council Bluffs Community School District. The award came with $500 from the Council Bluffs Schools Foundation and a candy bouquet
Jill Schatz Teacher of the Year – Book Trust
The Daily NonPareil also reports that Liston was awarded the 2019 Schatz Teacher of the Year from Book Trust. Book Trust is a national early literacy organization. With Book Trust and United Way of the Midlands, students in kindergarten through third grade at Edison Elementary get to pick $7 worth of books each month from the Scholastic catalog.
Sara Pruss, instructional coach in literacy and Book Trust manager for Council Bluffs Schools, explained why she nominated Liston to The Daily NonPareil, “Becky does a fantastic job of helping students choose books for their own reasons, because she believes in the research that when children choose what they read, they are more likely to read.”
Liston told the Omaha World-Herald about the program in January, “I’ve had parents say in the past, ‘We can’t read 10 books, because we don’t have 10 books at home,’ and this gives them more books to read.”
“If you can generate a love of reading when they’re young, they’re going to continue when they’re older,” she said. “We’re just inspiring readers — inspiring lifelong readers, we hope.”
“Becky, more than any teacher I’ve met in my 16 years of teaching, encourages reading at home. Becky’s love for the celebration of reading (is unmatched). Her social media posts, parent-teacher conferences and invitations to parents to come into the classroom support parents’ efforts.”
BookTrust.org writes, “Since 2001, Book Trust has been transforming the lives of thousands of low income students every month, by empowering them to choose, own, and love their own books. Teacher-led and student-driven, Book Trust’s program helps kids get in their daily reading practice and build a culture of literacy in the classroom and at home.”
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