2011 Outstanding Educators

Linda Camlin
Jamestown PA 
with Lisa Reinhart

Pat Houchens
Broward County FL
with Nancy Kinard

 

Each year at the Academic Games National Tournament, AGLOA honors outstanding educators who have been the heart and soul of their own local Academic Games programs. They recruit and train players, educate them in subject matter, inspire them to exceed their own expectations, encourage them to handle challenges, and manage the administration of their programs. The best of them do these things in an exceptional manner. Potential Outstanding Educators are nominated by their own players or fellow coaches.

In 2011, AGLOA named four incredible Educators to receive the award. Each has coached championship teams or players. More importantly, all have spent significant extra time developing coaching techniques and materials that contributed to their programs. Each has set a standard of excellence that can be emulated by other Academic Games teacher-coaches. Each has shown that heart and courage are essential ingredients in success.

Each will be highlighted in more detail in the monthly AGazines on the www.academicgames.org website.

Outstanding Educators Create Exceptional Citizens

Exceptional leaders produce exceptional followers. Inspirational, caring teachers produce students and adults of character and integrity. AGLOA has been blessed with teacher-coaches and leaders who are exceptional, inspirational, and caring. Over the past 45 years, 170 of them have been honored as Outstanding Academic Games Educators. Of the 170, twenty-seven have been elevated to the Academic Games Hall of Fame as a result of their string of victories.

What makes these educators outstanding? What makes them exceptional leaders? Why do their players become incredible adults.

Ken Dowling
Palm Beach County FL 
with Ellen Bredeweg

Jeff McNeish
Mohawk PA 
with Madge Tamber

• They KNOW what they are expected to teach. They have prepared themselves and are experts in their field.
• They TEACH with skill. They use many methods and techniques. They make their instruction lively and current and meaningful for their students.
• They CHALLENGE players to do their absolute best. They are not willing to settle for mediocrity. They challenge their players to reach their own peaks of excellence.
• They INSPIRE. They paint mental pictures of what can be and then encourage their players to push themselves to achieve.
• They MODEL for their players. They challenge themselves and always act with character, honesty, and integrity. Everyone wants to follow a leader with those attributes.
• They LOVE their players. Everyone needs acceptance and unconditional caring. For sure, they discipline and demand, for that is part of loving.

• They ORGANIZE. They prepare materials, schedule practices, arrange transportation, and do all the little things that make the whole work. Without the little things being done, the big results never occur.
• They ADMINISTER. Events do not just happen. Without League administrators and teacher/coaches who assist in producing forms, obtaining sites for tournaments, setting schedules, generating and distributing results, there would be no competitions.

The four 2011 Academic Games Outstanding Educators represent the previous 166 honorees by exhibiting these qualities. Their players have been blessed by their leadership. Their players have been inspired to emulate them. Their inspired players will become our future. Aren?t we fortunate!