Southeast’s Tommy Bender earns awards for excellence in English teaching

Southeast High School English Tommy Bender has received two awards for excellence in teaching.


The National Council of Teachers of English ( NCTE)  named Bender a 2022 High School Teacher of Excellence. He was also designated as the 2022 - 2023 English Teacher of the Year by the Nebraska English Language Arts Council (NELAC).  Bender was nominated by Ann Quinlan of Lincoln. She’s a former Southeast High School English department chair. 


Quinlan wrote in her nomination letter: “Tommy Bender has dedicated his career to helping students become more than they thought they could be. From teaching required Oral Communications classes to freshmen who may be anxious about presenting their first speech, to working with varsity level speech teams that compete nationally and achieve exceptional honors, Tommy shows interest, enthusiasm and support for all students.”


NTCE and NELAC presented him with an engraved Nebraska-shaped plaque at the 36th Annual Plum Creek Literacy Festival. 


Bender will be recognized at the National NCTE Conference in California this fall. 

 


Published: October 26, 2022, Updated: October 27, 2022

Tommy Bender earning two awards for English teaching.