By Kevin McClintock
news@joplinglobe.com
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. —
Doug Logan’s first expression was one of shock.
The Carl Junction social studies teacher was stopped dead in his tracks Wednesday afternoon by a thunderous standing ovation from 1,700 students, teachers and staff members in the school district when he walked into a school auditorium. His eyes grew wide, and his hands promptly covered his mouth.
Logan was honored for being one of six finalists for Missouri Teacher of the Year.
He thanked the students and his peers. He also got a long hug from his 2-year-old daughter, Catherine.
Logan was fighting back tears moments later, when his longtime mentor, teacher Walter Harrison, said by video how proud he was of Logan for the nomination.
The ceremony was brief, but Logan promised the crowd that the memory of it would last a lifetime.
“This is a day I will look back on, and I will be proud to say, ‘Yeah, I remember that,’” Logan said. “I love what I do as a teacher. It’s in my blood ... and it’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”
Though Logan didn’t win the state award — it went to Kirkwood High School chemistry teacher Robert Becker — Carl Junction Superintendent Phil Cook said of Logan: “He’s our Missouri Teacher of the Year.”
Logan and the five other nominees were selected from a pool of roughly 70,000 teachers at public schools in the state.
“He deserves a great big pat on the back,” said Scott Sawyer, Carl Junction Junior High School principal.
Logan had previously won district teacher of the year honors.
“It’s pretty awesome,” said Tracie Skaggs, the district’s public relations director. “This was the first time a teacher from Carl Junction has been nominated.”
Logan, 30, said the honor was “humbling, because it’s your peers that nominate you. It’s very humbling to know people you work with recognize your strengths and appreciate you. It’s very overwhelming.”
Logan served as a teacher’s aide in elementary school language arts and math classes before becoming a full-time teacher in 2004. He now teaches six daily classes to seventh- and eighth-graders.
“I do (love it) or I wouldn’t be here,” Logan said. “It’s not fair for them to have a teacher who’s not excited about doing what they’re doing. The kids can tell; they know which teachers want to be here and which teachers don’t.”
‘Just fun’
“I can’t believe I get paid to do this. ... I have a job that is different with every class of students I get. It’s never boring. Plus it’s just fun.”
— Doug Logan
