Education Professor Awarded for Outstanding Career Achievement

Professor of Education Marge Terhaar-Yonkers has been awarded the Outstanding Career Award in Teacher Preparation by the North Carolina Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children for 2017.

The Outstanding Career Award in Teacher Preparation honors an outstanding established faculty member who has made substantive contributions with a significant impact on the field of teacher education statewide. The recipient has made significant contributions to prepare and support pre- and in-service educators of students with disabilities. This individual has through the use of evidence-based practice, advocacy, adult-learning theory, and/or innovative measures, improved the preparation and retention of future and current teachers.

Terhaar-Yonkers has been a member of the Meredith faculty since 2008. She was nominated for this award by Christina Cole Spears, ’13, an alumna of Meredith’s undergraduate program and a 2014 graduate Meredith’s Master of Arts in Teaching program.

Spears, a special education teacher at Panther Creek High School in Wake County, said she nominated Terhaar-Yonkers for the award in recognition of her passion for teaching students with disabilities and for educating future special education teachers.

“Not only is she a dedicated educator, she is a mentor to teacher candidates and current teachers,” Spears said. “She shares her personal experiences and her classroom experiences with her students, so learning with her is always authentic. Dr. Terhaar-Yonkers is an asset to the education department at Meredith who leaves a lasting impact on her students.”

Photo shows Marge Terhaar-Yonkers being presented the Outstanding Career Award by Dr. Natasha Veale, president of the North Carolina Teacher Education Division (NCTED) at the North Carolina Council for Exceptional Children conference in Wilmington, January 19, 2017.