The IU School of Education is known for preparing reflective, caring and skilled educators who make a difference in the lives of their students in Indiana, throughout the United States, and around the world. Our graduates are regularly named the best teachers in the state for their innovative and creative approaches to educating students, and we prepare one third of the state’s teachers.
24 Indiana Teacher of the Year award recipients have come through the IU School of Education, most recently Eric Jenkins in 2023.
After a couple weeks of letting the shock of being named Teacher of the Year sink in, Jenkins embraced the honor.
“I get to be the ambassador for public education for the state and get to share all the experience of being a public school teacher in Indiana: the good, bad, and the ugly, and really get to advocate for a new generation of teachers and for the ones who have chosen to stay,” he said. “It’s not about me being the best teacher. It’s just that I get to represent all teachers. I get to be the advocate and the ambassador. It's not about being the best, it’s about sharing what’s great about education.”