Lineweber 2014 Freda Battey Distinguished Educator Award recipient



Lineweber 2014 Freda Battey Distinguished Educator Award recipient

12 May 2014    

Roberta Lineweber, a special education teacher with Beatrice Public Schools, has been selected as the 2014 Freda Battey Distinguished Educator Award recipient. She will receive the award May 16 at an awards luncheon on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln campus. Lineweber was nominated by Kelly Maydwell of Beatrice, a student in the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln majoring in pre-special education.

Lineweber, who received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and a transitional specialist degree from UNL, has been a special education teacher in Beatrice since 1985. She will receive a monetary award for the honor as will Beatrice High School. The University of Nebraska Foundation provides both monetary awards from funds contributed by the Battey family when the award was established in 1986.

“I have high goals for my students to be the best they can be,” says Lineweber. “I want them to be an advocate for themselves, be proud of who they are, respect themselves as well as others and have the social skills that when they graduate from high school they can be a productive member of society.”

 “Roberta is a highly motivated special education teacher who always brings out the best in students,” said Maydwell. “She helps them figure out problems on their own, helping them to be independent. She is an outstanding teacher, and I can't think of anyone else who deserves this award more than her.”

Jacquelyn Nielsen is director of curriculum for Beatrice Public Schools and assistant principal at Beatrice High School. “Roberta enjoys being a teacher and her passion for making a difference in children’s lives is obvious,” says Nielsen. “She is a master in the area of special education. I am truly impressed to watch her really take every student to the next level.”

The Battey Award honors the life and career of Freda Drath Battey, a 1923 graduate of UNL’s Teachers College. She was a public school teacher in Ashland, Nebraska for many years. The criteria for the award is “excellence in teaching coupled with recognition in other complementary education activities.” In reviewing nominations, the selection committee looks for evidence of teaching excellence, efforts to continue to grow as a teacher, commitment to students, and engagement with students outside the classroom.

For more information on the Battey Award, visit http://go.unl.edu/pfs7.

 


College of Education and Human Sciences
Special Education and Communication Disorders