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For the second consecutive year, a Hazelwood School District educator has been selected as a Missouri Teacher of the Year finalist. This time, it is Nicole Ratner, a former fifth-grade teacher and current instructional specialist at Twillman Elementary.

In January of this year, she earned the district’s Teacher of the Year nomination.
“I am very grateful to be a finalist for state teacher of the year,” Ratner continued.

“Teaching is a very rewarding career, particularly in the elementary setting where students grow and learn so much. I am blessed to be able to pursue my passion in life and to have a great amount of support from the students, parents and staff at Twillman Elementary.

“I believe that the purpose of education is to inspire in children a love of learning, give them knowledge and skills to succeed in their world and instill the desire to excel for themselves and the greater good.

Ratner started teaching in 2002, when she served as a substitute and a fifth grade student teacher in the Kirkwood School District. She also taught gifted education at the Gifted Resource Council of St. Louis for a year, where she designed and wrote curriculum for gifted children and taught courses on Saturdays. She has been teaching at Twillman since 2003, where she taught both fourth and fifth grades.

She received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Washington University. She also received her master’s degree in education with an emphasis in gifted education from the University of Missouri – Columbia.

Her achievements include:
∑ Hazelwood School District Teacher of the Year, 2006–2007
∑ Twillman Elementary Teacher of the Year, 2005–2006
∑ Twillman Elementary Teacher of the Year nominee in 2003-2004 and 2004-2005
∑ Served on a variety of school-based and district-wide committees, including the district writing committee, data and assessment committee, school data team and school leadership team
∑ Received Samsung Hope for Education grant and CAPCO award for science instruction; participant of the Teaching American History grant
∑ Formed and moderated student media club, moderated student council at Twillman Elementary
∑ Selected by the Pi Lambda Theta Honor Society in Education to represent the voices of all Missouri teachers in discussing school violence by speaking at a forum at the University of Missouri, Columbia

Ratner has also done volunteer work as a teacher’s aide and mentor for the St. Louis Public Schools and at the St. Louis Crisis Nursery. Ratner and the other five finalists travled to Jefferson City on August 29, where the state teacher of the year selection committee will interview her and the other finalists. (story courtesy of the Hazelwood District Communications Dept.)
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