Sloan's spot: Award-winning teacher for a mom

When I was a little girl, as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be in education. One of the big reasons why was because my mom is a teacher. She has always been a huge inspiration for my life in general, but when it comes to education, that is a whole different story. God blessed me when he made her my momma. My mom, Stephanie Dwyer, has influenced many children's lives through her career as an educator and continues to make a huge impact on the youth at Meadow View Elementary. (My mom is shown above with her principal, Mr. Kastler.)

Growing up with a teacher as a mother has strongly impacted who I am today in many ways. She definitely didn’t mess around about homework or my grades. My mom was tough on my brother and I, but she never failed to let us know how proud she was of us, too. Having her to push us along throughout school was one of the best things I can remember.

I was just telling her the other day how nice it was to have her at the same school as me K-8th and her knowledge to get me through rough parts of school never hurt. I graduated in the top 10 percent of my high school at Labette County High School and was able to get college done in three years with a bachelor's degree. I wouldn’t change her strict ways about grades, studying or time management for anything. My mom is a huge reason why I am where I am today.

In April 2017, she was selected for the USD 506 Excellence in Education Elementary Award. She was nominated by her colleagues and was very deserving of this award as an educator. She has been in education for this district for 23 years.

One nominee wrote, “When I think of the teaching profession, I think of commitment and dedication. I think of all the hours that are involved in making an impact in a child’s life. Stephanie spends hours upon hours to make that reality come true. There is not a day that goes by you do not see her helping a child reach his or her potential. Stephanie is a natural. Watching her take action with children does the heart wonders.”

Stephanie Dwyer’s degrees:

• Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education
• Master of Science in Education
• Master of Science in Library Media and Technology

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