Sharita Ware, a graduate of Purdue’s engineering-teacher technology education post-baccalaureate Transition to Teaching program, received the 2022 Indiana Teacher of the Year Award.
After working in the engineering industry for years, Ware became an engineering and technology teacher at East Tipp Middle School in Lafayette, Ind., where she has taught for 10 years. She was selected out of more than 63,000 teachers in the state.
“There are so many teachers and I feel like there’s so many that do a great job in the classroom that don't get recognized,” said Ware. “The path and the journey isn’t always easy. There are times where you want to give up. Sometimes you don’t always, as a teacher, feel valued, respected or compensated for the effort and time that you give. This is a great honor.”
The engineering-teacher technology education post-baccalaureate Transition to Teaching program, offered via a partnership between Purdue’s College of Education and Purdue Polytechnic, provides graduates with experience in engineering and/or technology fields a way to earn Indiana teaching licenses. Nathan Mentzer, associate professor of technology leadership and innovation, supervised Ware’s student teaching in 2012.
See the full stories in the Lafayette Journal & Courier and WLFI.
Additional information
- Tippecanoe Schools' Sharita Ware named Indiana's Teacher of the Year (Lafayette Journal & Courier)
- Local educator crowned Indiana's 2022 teacher of the year (WLFI)
- Indiana Teacher of the Year Program (Indiana Department of Education)
- Transition to Teaching (Purdue College of Education)
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Carrying the torch: Q&A with Sharita Ware, 2022 Indiana Teacher of the Year (Purdue / The Persistent Pursuit)