Editors: A photograph of Whirry is available by calling (303) 492-4007.
The 2000 National Teacher of the Year, Marilyn Whirry, will speak on "Exceptional Teaching in an Era of Standards" at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Thursday, Sept. 7.
Whirry's appearance is sponsored by the CU-Boulder School of Education along with the Boulder Valley School District and the CU chapter of Phi Delta Kappa. Her address will begin at 4 p.m. in room 252 of the Hellems Arts and Sciences Building.
Following a 30-minute talk, Whirry will be joined by two recent Colorado Teachers of the Year, Craig Cogswell of Westminster High School and Mark Mavrogianes of Northglenn High School, for another hour of discussion on education issues. The event is free and open to the public.
A 12th-grade English teacher at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., Whirry has 35 years of teaching experience. Her teaching philosophy centers on seeking, embracing and truly celebrating the act of learning.
Whirry holds a doctorate in contemporary literature and also is an adjunct professor of education at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
In addition to teaching English and literature, she has presented more than 350 workshops to teachers, conducted sessions for administrators on developing academic standards and evaluating student progress, and has done consulting work in several states and in Japan. For the past several years, she has been a member of the National
Assessment Governing Board, the federal organization created by Congress to set policies for the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Whirry is the 50th National Teacher of the Year. The National Teacher of the Year program focuses public attention on teaching excellence and is the oldest and most prestigious awards program for teachers.
The program is sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers and Scholastic Inc., a publishing and media company. A committee of representatives from the 15 leading national education organizations chooses the recipient from among the State Teachers of the Year.
Professor Kevin Welner of the CU-Boulder School of Education arranged Whirry's visit. Twenty years ago, Welner was a student of Whirry's at Mira Costa High School.
"She was the first to impress upon me that good teaching depends on high expectations for all students," he said. "Every student should be graced with at least one teacher so inspiring."
For more information call Welner at the CU-Boulder School of Education at (303) 492-8370.