Florence J. Clark Award for Excellence in Middle School Teaching 

About the Award: The Award for Excellence in Middle School Teaching was established by Florence J. Clark, a former middle school teacher and counselor at Irving Middle School who retired as assistant principal at Mickle Middle School in 1985 after 35 years of teaching and administration. Florence believed that middle school teachers have unique qualities and deserve special recognition. This Award will annually recognize two outstanding middle school teachers in the Lincoln Public Schools. Middle school teachers honored by the award demonstrate excellence in middle school teaching and work toward continuous improvement in student achievement and development. 

Amount Awarded: $5,000

Nominated By: Students, Parents, and  Principal Victory Haines

Nomination: 

Quotes from past students: 

• "Mrs. David is super nice to everyone and always includes people. She makes class fun and
  you enjoy learning with her as a teacher. When you have Mrs. David, it makes you excited to
  come to class. She is an amazing teacher and gives you good advice to help you succeed in
  the future." 
• "She doesn't just care about providing you with work and saying 'Do it.' She
  makes sure her class is always entertaining, and I really like her corny way of teaching. I think
  her silly little costumes every second she pops out of the desk which is what makes history
  entertaining. She does her best making sure we understand our assignment, and many times will try to push us to where she knows we can succeed. (Of course, nothing is done forcefully, she always makes sure that we are in our comfort zone but not always too much in it, sometimes she likes to make changes.) She also is a very
  understanding person at heart."
• "Mrs. David's goal was always for us to do well in her class. She wanted to challenge us so we could rise to our full potential. She really made me love her social studies class. I always wanted to learn something new in her class. She also helped me like school and find a place I felt safe and comfortable to learn. I think going into her class everyone was motivated to rise to their full potential." 

Quote from a Pound parent: 

• "Mrs. David has made my 7th grade son get excited about school and learning, and as we
  know, getting a 13 year-old boy excited about anything besides YouTube is no easy feat.
  When asked how our son would describe Mrs. David in 5 words or less he says she is
  "creative, fun, smart, fair and kind." Mrs. David cares about each of her students as an
  individual person and brings out the best in them. She sees the current and future potential
  in these kids and uses her natural abilities to guide them to be the version of themselves that
  they may not even know exists yet. Our son's confidence has grown since being in her class
  and he is proud to be learning and engaged in her classroom."

Nomination from Principal Haines: 

Please describe why you believe the nominee is an outstanding middle school teacher.
I am pleased to nominate Mrs. Emily David for the Florence J. Clark Outstanding Middle School Teacher Award. Mrs. David is an exemplary educator whose dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to her students make her a deserving candidate for this recognition. One of Mrs. David's greatest strengths lies in her ability to make history come alive for her students. In a Ms. Frizzle-like way, Emily dresses up in historical costumes to "time travel" and teach students as if she was the historical figure. She creates dynamic and engaging lessons (virtual field trips, black death bean bags, Facts Face Off Challenge, to name a few) that capture the imagination of her students, fostering a deep appreciation for the past and its relevance to the present. She is able to convey complex information in an understandable way and fosters love for learning in her students.

Furthermore, Mrs. David is a tireless advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in her classroom. She "gets" middle school students and creates a safe and welcoming environment where every student's voice is heard and valued, regardless of their background or
perspective. Through positive classroom management and collaboration with her team of teachers, Emily is able to meet the needs of a variety of learners, including students with IEPs and high needs.

Moreover, Mrs. David goes above and beyond to participate in national and district social studies initiatives to ensure district social studies curriculum is inquiry-based and aligned with the state standards.

Describe how the nominee has contributed to the improvement in student achievement and development at their school.

This year, Mrs. David advocated with our PTO to provide a lunch incentive with 7th grade teachers to successfully ensure that every single 7th grader (about 270) had a positive contact home from their teachers. As a lunch supervisor, every day Emily greets students with a high-five foam hand that is a highlight for some students. (Need I mention every Friday is "Fistbump Friday" where she wears a foam Hulk fist for students to greet her in passing?)

Her positivity is contagious and her input and support in our Tier 1 committee has helped us to address schoolwide behaviors.

She has also contributed to the development of a pilot adjusted social studies curriculum for 8th graders that have below grade level reading skills.

Mrs. Emily David has been a wonderful addition to our school environment and she will continue to be an asset to LPS as she continues in her education and journey to become an administrator.