• SLPS names Special Education Teacher of the Year

     
    Special Ed TOY

    Mary Moog, daughter-in-law of Dorothy R. Moog; Adrienne Lacey-Bushell, SLPS executive director of special education; Karl Schoenherr, recipient of the 2003 Dorothy R. Moog Special Education Teacher of the Year Award; Alice F. Roach, administrative director of the Parsons Blewett Memorial Fund; and Jim Moog, son of Dorothy R. Moog

    Posted: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 10:55 pm

    By American staff | 0 comments

    St. Louis Public Schools presented the 2013 Dorothy R. Moog Special Education Teacher of the Year Award to Karl Schoenherr, a self-contained autism teacher at Gateway Math, Science, and Technology Middle School.

    Aisha Grace, principal of Gateway Middle, said Schoenherr “demonstrates initiative, leadership, organization, responsibility, and sensitivity.”

    An educator at Gateway Middle since 2008, Schoenherr also serves as the special education team leader and the positive behavior support teacher leader at the school. He is a doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, focusing on applied behavior analysis.

    “My philosophy for reaching my students is centered on teaching them in the same manner that I would want a member of my own family to be taught,” Schoenherr said in his application packet.

    “When teaching my students, I strive to be responsive to their needs, to treat them with dignity, and to model desirable behavior and social skills with efficacy. My approach to teaching my students with autism is to understand their respective needs, and to address them in a manner that is both methodical and engaging.”

    He was honored with an awards reception and presented with a $1,000 award from the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation. In addition, he received a trophy, a plaque, and a $500 award for related education materials through the Parsons Blewett Memorial Fund.

    The award is named after Dorothy R. Moog, an active community volunteer until her death in 2008. Mrs. Moog’s primary philanthropic interests included children and special education.

    To earn the Special Education Teacher of the Year Award, nominees must explain their teaching philosophy and approach to teaching; be recommended by an administrator and a professional colleague; and complete an interview process.