Congratulations to Jennifer Burdock Rankin, the Northern Middle School teacher in Garrett County who has been named 2010 Maryland Teacher of the Year.

Rankin, who has taught 13 years at Northern Middle, was one of seven teachers from across the state who made the short list of finalists for Maryland Teacher of the Year in August. She was selected as Garrett County’s Teacher of the year for 2009-2010. She is an eighth-grade language, arts, prealgebra and algebra teacher.

During an evening gala last week where the award winner was announced, Rankin heard high praise from many of the state’s educational leaders, including Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick. “Choosing Maryland’s Teacher of the Year is never an easy task, and this year’s nominees were certainly some of the strongest candidates we’ve seen,” said Grasmick. “Jennifer Rankin exudes the true spirit of teaching through her desire to not only motivate her students to achieve academic success, but also through her desire to collaborate with other teachers on innovative programs and new technology to help them motivate their students and encourage learning. Her natural ability to inspire students and teachers around her is certainly reason to bestow her with this honor.”

But perhaps the most poignant praise came from Jennifer’s principal, William Carlson. He said: “Jennifer is the teacher all parents want their children to experience. She raises teaching to an art form and has the ability and skills to engage her students, making them feel loved as they are drawn into the magic of learning.”

The Maryland Teacher of the Year wins $9,000 in cash, a week at National Space Camp, a four-day trip to the Teacher of the Year Conference in Dallas, SmartBoard and supporting materials from SMARTer Kids Foundation valued at $16,000, and a $28,000 Nissan Altima from the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association. Rankin will be honored by President Barack Obama at the White House in April and will go on to the National Teacher of the Year competition, which will be announced April.

Educating our children is one of most crucial and important tasks our nation faces. Teachers are able to make a significant impact on the lives of the children they teach. We salute not only Jennifer Burdock Rankin, but countless other teachers who have dedicated their lives to helping their students receive a quality, meaningful education.