Teaching excellence

Winning a national award for almost anything is exceptional. Winning a national award for teaching means the teachers and their school district are doing something very right.

Barb Egbert teaches kindergarten at Franklin Elementary School, and Becky Hicks teaches second-graders at Blanchard Elementary School. Both have been named recipients of the 2006 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. This is the top national award for math and science teachers.

Egbert and Hick will receive $10,000 each and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., next week for the weeklong ceremonies.

Only two teachers from each state are chosen for the annual education awards. The Cape Girardeau School District has never had both state winners in the same year.

Educators know the Cape Girardeau School District employs some of the best teachers anywhere. This is the latest confirmation of that fact.