User:AnisaAtMPP/sandbox

History
The Bridge Teacher of the Year award was begun by the American Bridge Teachers Association (ABTA) and Master Point Press in 2009. It is an award recognizing a bridge teacher who goes the extra mile for their students, who is a source of inspiration and excellence in their community. It is also known as the ABTA MPP Teacher of the Year award, to those in the bridge community.

Students are encouraged to nominate teachers who show a great passion for their material, who use interesting and original approaches to teaching.

Prize
The prize consists of a statue and a cash award. The award is presented at the annual ABTA convention, held mid July-August. In 2013 the convention was in Atlanta, Georgia and in 2014, it will be held in Las Vegas.

Sponsorship
In 2009, Master Point Press decided to sponsor the award and co-owner Linda Lee has been responsible for presenting the prize to the winning teacher each year. Master Point Press is the world’s largest publisher of bridge books and bridge eBooks, including Beginning Bridge by Barbara Seagram and Linda Lee, and many other titles ranging from beginner to advanced, as well as humorous books and bridge-centered fiction.

The ABTA is a professional bridge teachers organization which includes members from all over the world and enables teachers to connect online, sharing ideas, participating in discussion groups, and helping to put their students first when it comes to learning bridge.

Nomination Process
Nominees for the Teacher of the Year award are nominated by their students. The ABTA and TeachBridge websites provide downloadable forms that students can fill out to recommend the teachers who inspire them. The nominations are then forwarded to the ABTA’s current Teacher of the Year committee.

Eligibility
Nominees must have at least 5 years of teaching experience and teach at least 75 hours per year. They should be a member of the ABTA, the American Contract Bridge League or the American Bridge Association. Past nominees are eligible for re-submission, assuming that they still meet the requirements.

Nomination Criteria
Although the nomination criteria changes nominally each year, there are a few basic areas that teachers must show an effort in order to be nominated.


 * Teaching excellence
 * Innovation
 * Service to bridge
 * Service to the community

Committee
The ABTA’s Teacher of the Year committee is comprised of leading ABTA members, who are responsible for evaluating the received submissions and deciding on the deserving teacher. Their decision is announced at the annual ABTA Convention.

Past Winners
Information and photos of the past winners can be found on the ABTA’s Teacher of the Year facebook page and also on the ABTA and TeachBridge websites. There are also profiles of the 2013 nominees available on the ABTA and TeachBridge websites.

Past winners include:

 * David Glandorf (2013)
 * Mary Jane Orock (2012)
 * Kathie Walsh (2011)
 * Tina Radding (2010)