Pioneer Elementary Teacher Named Golden Apple Finalist

Nancy Lee Zider, a first grade teacher at , has been named one of 32 finalists for the Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching.

Her bio published by the Golden Apple Foundation reads as follows:

Nancy feels that learning must extend beyond the classroom walls. Nancy’s joy and passion for school are contagious. Through children’s literature the class explores their feelings and “jitters” about coming to school. Her first graders are instantly connected to key characters in children’s books. They sing, dance, talk, and laugh. They accept each other as a family. Nancy shows them her love of books and kids, and she can see the anxiety fade from their faces. She has them on hooked on first grade, and she learns the most of all in leading this vibrant community of learners.

This year’s finalists for the Golden Apple Foundation’s prestigious award were chosen from among hundreds of applicants and nominees teaching kindergarten through third grade in the Chicago area.

These finalists will be honored during the Foundation’s annual Golden Apple Celebration of Excellence, which will be held Saturday, April 21, at the Hyatt McCormick Place in Chicago. Then, in May, the Foundation will select 10 Golden Apple Award winners (known as Golden Apple Fellows) from among the finalists.