Drake University School of Education graduate, Deborah Alexander, BSE ’09, was recently named 2013 Teacher of the Year by The Rotary Club of Des Moines Foundation. Deborah teaches at Stowe Elementary and is in her fourth year of teaching. She was nominated by her principal, Dawn Vetter.
Deborah challenges her students to assume personal responsibility for their learning. “I believe when students are in charge of their learning, they place a higher value on it,” Deborah stated. Deborah notes that her students were some of the district’s lowest achieving third graders, as measured by the Iowa Tests. Currently, these same students are ranked seventh from the top of the district in Reading and Math.