Amarillo Teacher Named "National Teacher Of The Year"

Amarillo is justifiably proud of one of its own citizens right now. It has been announced that Shanna Peeples (pictured here in a photo from connectamarillo.com), an English teacher at Palo Duro High School, has been named the National Teacher of the Year. It is the first time since 1957 that a Texas teacher received the honor -- and the first time ever for an Amarillo teacher.

Peeples will be recognized by President Obama in a White House ceremony on Wednesday, and at the end of this school year she will take a year off from teaching to make about 150 appearances around the country as the Teacher of the Year. She hopes to highlight the problem of poverty as it relates to education. Peoples said:

“That fact brings a whole constellation of challenges — how hard it is to try to learn when you’re hungry, or when you’re sick and can’t afford to go to the doctor, or when you have to move out of your home in the middle of the night because you can’t afford the rent. That’s unfortunately what so many teachers are dealing with. The good news about that is for so many of those kids the story that starts out that way sometimes ends with such an amazing personal triumph for students.”