A Grand Traverse County educator who is known for pouring her heart and soul into her students has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.
The award winner, Elizabeth Lautner, is a first-grade teacher at Courtade Elementary. The school is part of the Traverse City Area Public Schools.
The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence In Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year.
Winners of the weekly award receive a $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the school year, one of the weekly award winners will be selected to receive the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.
Each winner also is featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations: WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, FOX 47 in Lansing, WLUC in Marquette, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Lautner will air this evening.
Lautner said she was inspired to pursue a career in education by her desire to work with children.
“I have always wanted to work with children. It’s important for children to have a safe space to learn and grow and I am honored to be able to be that for my students every day. My work is challenging and rewarding at the same time, and I love coming to my classroom and watching my students grow.”
Lautner was nominated for the award by the family of a student.
“We have known Elizabeth Lautner as an elementary school teacher for over 12 years. In those years we have witnessed her put her heart and soul into her students, or as she would say “her kids.” She wants them to believe how incredible they are, from their hearts to their cognitive skills. Liz helps her students grow socially and emotionally by teaching them the skills they need to succeed, rather than just telling them to stop doing something. She wants them to know how to overcome their challenges so they can conquer anything. Liz works diligently days, nights, weekends and through the summer months to ensure she can provide the best for her students of all backgrounds and abilities. I have also known Liz to help put together birthday parties for kids with summer birthdays during the summer months when school is not in session. She wants her students to know how much they are valued and that if they put it the effort, the sky is their limit.”
Lautner earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Grand Valley State University. She has been an educator for 16 years, the last five in her current position.
Excellence in Education award nominees are evaluated on the following criteria:
- Excellence – Their work consistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
- Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expectations to help students succeed.
- Inspiration – Their work inspires others around them to exceed expectations either academically or professionally.
- Leadership – They demonstrate clear leadership skills in their positions with their school or school districts.
- Effectiveness – The nominee’s work has clear and positive results on the educational advancement of students within the school or school district.
You must be logged in to post a comment.