Missouri Teacher of the Year challenges others to 'do something'

Who inspired you growing up? I�m not talking about your parents, though certainly many can point to examples of family inspiration.

But there are others � mentors, educators, coaches � who at one time or another made an imprint on our lives.

That was a theme for Beth Davey, a Cape Girardeau native who teaches at Iveland Elementary in St. Louis.

Davey, 27, was named Missouri Teacher of the Year in September, an honor given to one teacher among Missouri�s 520 school districts.

�It�s a huge honor to represent teachers and students across the state,� Davey said in a recent telephone interview.

She�s humble about the award and quick to point out those who inspired her during her formative years.

One of those individuals was first-grade math teacher Carol Reimann.

�I have had so many incredible teachers along the way, most of them within the Cape Girardeau public school system,� Davey said. �I certainly do remember Carol Reimann as one of many teachers who invested in their students and really cared about our futures.�

Davey said she later would understand how good a teacher Reimann was, using the word �genius� to describe her instructional technique in the classroom. But it was the personal touch to education that meant so much.

�I remember she was kind. She was warm. She gave individual attention to each student. For me, walking in that room, I had just transferred from a parochial school in St. Louis, and I was terrified to be in a classroom with people I didn�t know. To be in a larger school, and I just remember her kindness.�

Reimann, too, was named the Missouri Teacher of the Year in 1997, 20 years before Davey would receive the honor. When Davey accepted the award in September, her first-grade teacher was there to celebrate with her.

Two other educators who inspired Davey to explore music education are Neil and Dina Casey, her band and choir directors at Cape Girardeau Central High School.

As she started her speech at the state awards program, Davey used what she called a �Caseyism,� her affectionate term for wise sayings from Neil Casey.

�Don�t just stand there, do something,� Davey recalled.

With that advice, Davey continues the year as Missouri�s top teacher. She will meet with business leaders, legislators, students and school boards, while also providing professional training to teachers. With all of this on her plate, she continues to inspire in the way she takes her own instruction to �do something.�

A graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City�s Conservatory of Music, Davey now is working on her master�s degree through the University of Colorado.

�Good teachers never stop learning,� she said.

Like other educators, the Ritenour School District teacher said there are days where she wonders about her impact on students. But she�s inspired by former teachers to leave a legacy like her teachers left with her.

Here�s to all of the Beth Daveys and Carol Reimanns and so many other talented educators who inspire students.

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One of the top national stories of the week was the sentencing hearing for Dr. Larry Nassar, the sexual predator who assaulted 150-plus girls at Michigan State and USA Gymnastics.

Many of the young women who had been assaulted gave victim-impact statements over the seven-day hearing. Each one a gut-wrenching experience, no doubt. However the statement from Rachel Denhollander was inspiring.

Denhollander, standing at a podium, looked Nassar in the eyes and said, despite the evil he had committed, she offered her forgiveness. And even more so, he could experience mercy from God should he repent.

�Should you ever reach the point of truly facing what you have done, the guilt will be crushing. And that is what makes the Gospel of Christ so sweet. Because it extends grace and hope and mercy where none should be found and it will be there for you,� Denhollander said.

What grace and maturity displayed by Ms. Denhollander. It says a lot about her faith in Christ, and it�s a reminder to us all about the power of forgiveness and God�s grace.

Lucas Presson is the assistant publisher of the Southeast Missourian.