College of Education Celebrates 197 Teachers Who Made a Difference

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 16, 2016) — There were no winners and no losers at the recent University of Kentucky College of Education’s Teachers Who Made a Difference recognition ceremony. Often, the nominators were celebrated as fervently as the nominees. If tears fell during the ceremony – and many did – they were never bitter or sad, but full of joy and admiration.

This year, 197 educators were honored by their former students as a Teacher Who Made a Difference in their lives and the lives of others. Organizers were pleasantly surprised this year when students named teachers from Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Connecticut, Maryland and Tennessee.

“Teachers and students often develop strong relationships, with the impact of that bond lasting a lifetime, for many,” said Mary John O’Hair, dean of the College of Education. “The UK College of Education is thankful to play a part in helping students show gratitude for a special teacher.”

Each year, any Teacher Who Made a Difference submission is accepted, up to a predetermined limit. Also each year, the program is assisted by a spokesperson who helps get the word out. In the past, John Calipari, Dermontti Dawson, Tubby Smith, Lee T. Todd Jr., Kyle Macy, and Dan and Cheri Issel have led the charge. UK women's basketball coach Matthew Mitchell once again volunteered to team with the college to help the program.

“Teaching is my job, teaching is my passion. And it is something that I love and hope to do the rest of my life,” said Mitchell. “It is a tremendous thing to be a teacher.”

Take for example, the case of UK physical therapy graduate student and Jamaican native Carolyn Blissett and her mentor, UK associate professor of physical therapy and director of the College of Health Sciences PT clinical education director M. Lynn English.

In her nomination letter, Blissett wrote, “Dr. Lynn English has been one of my greatest blessings during my educational and professional journey towards becoming a physical therapist. After hearing about the difficulties that I was experiencing at a clinical site, she took the time to meet with me one-on-one to listen to me and provide guidance to help me grow in my areas of weakness. Due to my strong interest in doing a clinical rotation in Belize, Dr. English used her resources to help to make that clinical site a possibility for me and future UK students.”

Blissett went on to use words and phrases like “leader, mentor, passion, approachable, strong commitment to service” to describe English.

“Throughout my two and a half years in the physical therapy program,” said Blissett, “Dr. English has encouraged me and believed in my potential to pursue my dreams of becoming a medical interpreter and a bilingual physical therapist. She has provided me with opportunities to develop that passion and her belief in me has helped me to believe in myself even more.”

For her part, English speaks of Blissett with high praise. “Carolyn is one of the most enthusiastic, personable people I know. She works very hard at everything she does and does so with a smile on her face.”

English remembers fondly that Blissett became proficiently bilingual in a matter of a few weeks during a UK Shoulder to Shoulder Global mission to Ecuador. Now, she is a volunteer interpreter for UK’s physical therapy clinic here in Lexington.

The University of Kentucky College of Education Teachers Who Made a Difference Program began in 1998 as part of the college’s 75th anniversary celebration. With more than 100 teachers honored that year and the overwhelming support from the UK campus and community, the College of Education decided to make it an annual event. After 18 years, nearly 2,000 educators have been honored.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Gail Hairston, 859-257-3302, gail.hairston@uky.edu