Teacher of the year’s roots extend to Iola

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December 5, 2017 - 12:00 AM

Samantha Neill, a 1999 Iola High School graduate and daughter of former IHS Principal David South, has been named the 2018 Kansas Teacher of the Year.
The designation was announced Nov. 18 during a ceremony in Wichita.
Known as Sam to her friends and acquaintances, the Buhler High School language arts instructor was chosen from a field of eight finalists, picked from more than 100 applicants from across the state.
“Samantha exemplifies all that is great about Kansas’ education and the teaching profession,” Kansas Commissioner of Education Randy Watson said at the ceremony. “She possesses the courage to tackle hard challenges, and she has an innovative spirit that is infectious and deeply rooted in the need to ensure each of her students becomes successful. Samantha is a leader, not only in her classroom, but throughout the school and community.”
With the award comes several ancillary benefits, on top of a $4,000 grand prize.
Starting in January, Neill will begin her Hubbard Foundation Kansas Teacher of the Year Ambassadorship, traveling across the state and beyond to visit with other innovators in education.
Such an endeavor is bittersweet, Neill told the Register in a telephone interview.
“I’ll get to learn and interact with other educators and policy makers, and I’ll get to serve as an advocate for the profession,” she said.
Conversely, being on the road will take Neill out of her natural element — the classroom.
“I know it’s only 1/60th of my career, if I’m lucky enough to teach for 30 years,” she said, “but it’s half of the year I’ll miss getting to work with these students.”

BECOMING A teacher was an easy choice for Neill, whose parents both were educators. David, of course, and Becky, who taught at Iola Middle School. The Souths have since retired and are living in Nebraska.
So certain was Neill of teaching language arts, she attended college to study English. “I didn’t even need a minor,” she laughed.
She studied at Allen Community College and Emporia State University, earning her bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education. In 2008, Neill earned her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at Wichita State University.
Meanwhile, she worked for two years as a full-time substitute teacher before an instructor at Buhler announced she was taking maternity leave. Neill was hired. She’s remained there the past 15 years.
“I’ve just loved how if you want to become involved in the community, you become a teacher,” she said.
She reflected upon her classroom influences growing up, including several at Iola High.
“I had teachers like Marv Smith, and I loved how he treated the students,” Neill said, referring to the now retired IHS chemistry instructor. “He made us work for our grades.
“I’ve had some outstanding teachers,” she said.

NEILL and her husband, Bob, have two sons, ages 4 and 7, with another son — this one a high school junior — on the way.
That’s because the Neills took in the student as a foster child more than a year ago, and are in the process of completing the adoption process.
“We talked about it a lot, and it came down to I wanted to put my money where my mouth was,” Neill said. “Here was a student who needed help, and part of my goal is to help students better themselves.”

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