Nelson is a graduate of the University of Southern Bohemia with a B.A. in Pedagogy and a dual M.A in Russian as a Foreign Language and Music. Nelson has been an instructional assistant and classroom teacher in three countries, including the Czech Republic and Canada in addition to the United States. She has been a teacher at Logansport Community High School since 2006. As Indiana’s 2017 Teacher of the Year, Nelson will represent Indiana in the National Teacher of the Year competition. A selection of her career awards is listed below.
Honors and Awards:
- 2016 Crystal Berry Award – Logansport District Teacher of the Year Award
- 2015 Woman of Distinction Award – Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
- 2014 Pillar of the Logansport Community School Corporation Award
About the Indiana Teacher of the Year Program
The Indiana Teacher of the Year program began in 1957 and continues as the oldest, most prestigious state honors program that focuses public attention on excellence in teaching. The Indiana Teacher of the Year award recognizes and utilizes representatives of excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms of the state. Its mission is to build and utilize a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in the improvement of schools, student performance, and the teaching profession.
The Indiana Teacher of the Year is chosen from among the current Indiana District Teachers of the Year who complete and submit an Indiana Teacher of the Year Portfolio to the Indiana Department of Education’s Teacher of the Year Coordinator. A selection committee comprised of past Teachers of the Year reviews and ranks each portfolio following the rubric and portfolio guidelines. The selection committee determines the top ten candidates based on this evaluation system. The selection committee then conducts interviews with the finalists and conducts classroom observations with the top three candidates.