Emporia is rolling out the red carpet for the 2018 class of the National Teachers Hall of Fame.
The five educators spent time at Visser Hall Tuesday morning touring the Hall of Fame itself before visiting the One Room School House and Memorial to Fallen Educators. Peggy Jackson, retired history and government teacher from Moriarty, New Mexico called the entire experience unbelievable.
Jackson is sharing the week’s experience with her husband Bill. The two met when he was a principal at a school she was teaching at. He calls the experience a wonderful occasion.
The Jackson family are no strangers to halls of fame. Peggy’s father-in-law Travis Jackson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Hall of fame week has also been a humbling experience for Jeffrey Baxter of Leavenworth, who teaches English and Language arts at Blue Valley West High School. The Kansas native says this wasn’t his first visit to the Hall of Fame.
Baxter’s wife Connie, who is also a teacher, found out about her husband’s nomination earlier this year and had to keep it a secret for close to a month before it was announced at a surprise assembly.
Connie says watching her husband’s passion for teaching has been eye-opening because he doesn’t do it for the awards, but rather to see his students achieve success.
Jeffrey Baxter and Peggy Jackson will join the other nominees, Connie Bagley, Maureen Murphy-Foelkl and Bradley Upshaw on KVOE’s Talk of Emporia Wednesday. The five are also participating in the rededication ceremony for the Memorial to Fallen Educators Thursday and will be officially inducted during ceremonies Friday at ESU’s Webb Hall.
Photos by Brandon Peoples/KVOE News
{gallery}NTHF Inductees tour Hall of Fame{/gallery}
