Mrs. Lyons is "2007 Outstanding Elementary Art Educator"
by Lewie Curtis
August 07, 2007
Mrs. Liz Lyons, Underwood's K-6 Art Instructor has been selected by the Art Educators of Iowa (AEI) as its 2007 Outstanding Elementary Art Educator. This prestigious award, was announced on July 30. Congratulations to Mrs. Lyons!
An awards ceremony will be part of the fall AEI Conference in Boone, Iowa on Saturday, October 13. Mrs. Lyons will receive her much deserved recognition that evening.
Mrs. Lyons has taught Art at Underwood for more than 15 years. She works at Underwood and Tri Center schools, both as a half-time Elementary Art instructor. As many of our community members know, and all of our students know, Mrs. Lyons is an incredible teacher with a passion for art. Mrs. Lyons is very active in the local communities as she helps raise her family of three kids. She volunteers to help at local parades and contests as a judge and organizer, stays active in her church, and helps her own children to learn an appreciation for music (piano lessons, guitar lessons, etc.). Mrs. Lyons is someone that community members know and appreciate as a caring person, and she conducts her personal life as a parallel to her professional life, knowing she is a role model for kids.
Mrs. Lyons is able to reach into her students and find the best that they have to offer on a daily basis. She inspires kids to try new ideas that they haven’t tried before, to never give up when things go wrong, and to give their best personal effort. She does all this by teaching with and through her bubbly personality. Mrs. Lyons takes a positive and upbeat attitude into every classroom of kids she teaches. Despite the many shortcomings that Art teachers might face (lack of equipment, lack of materials, lack of interest, Mrs. Lyons even suffers from “lack of a classroom” at the elementary school) she enters the room with enthusiasm and a passion for teaching kids about art. I have seen her display this in a variety of ways, including playing her guitar for the class while they work, dressing up as “Queen Elizabeth” on her birthday, and experimenting with new media, such as casting pewter. However, the most obvious way to see her enthusiasm is to simply stand near the doorway and watch and listen as she engages kids into her class. You can hear it in her voice and see it in her actions; she loves art, and she loves teaching kids about art!
Congratulations to Mrs. Liz Lyons, the 2007 Outstanding Elementary Art Educator in Iowa!
