Teacher of the Year

2025 Teacher of the Year

Janet Riordan, Kindergarten
Four Mile Elementary in Pleasant Hill

“For many years, Janet has been the driving force behind organizing a kindergarten field trip to Living History Farms,” her principal told us. “She understands the impact this experience has on her young learners. Living History Farms allows students to step back in time and see firsthand how people lived, worked, and built communities in Iowa’s past. While classroom lessons and books can provide information, it is the immersive, hands-on environment of the farms that brings these lessons to life for five- and six-year-olds. Janet carefully connects this trip to Iowa’s kindergarten social studies standards. The experience gives students the chance to compare life in the past to life today, offering examples of how daily routines, tools, and communities have changed over time. They begin to see how geography influenced the way people lived and worked, and they practice sequencing events as they explore the history of farming and communities.”

This is Janet’s 33rd year of teaching. She has taught kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. She started her teaching career in Cherokee and moved to the Southeast Polk district 28 years ago. Originally from Norwalk, she graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary and early childhood education. She also holds a master’s degree from Viterbo University in elementary education. She and her husband, John, live in Norwalk and have six children: Samantha, Melanie, Michael, Jenna, Jarod, and Jack. She also has two grandchildren: Ella and Gavin. In her spare time, she reads and is trying her hand at gardening. She loves spending time with her family and traveling to see historical places.

Teacher of the Year award

Teachers of the Year are recognized at Living History Farms’ annual Farmstasia event and receive:

• A commemorative plaque
• An invitation to become an ad hoc member of the Living History Farms’ Education Advisory Committee
• Free admission to the Farmstasia event for two people (valued at $300)
• A free field trip for up to 50 students during the general visitor season. (Valid during general season hours and dates; does not cover the cost of transportation; not valid for adults; advance registration required; value $10 per student.)

Eligibility

• The recipient must be a K-12 teacher who incorporates a program or tour of Living History Farms into their classroom curriculum.
• Members of the LHF Education Advisory Committee are not eligible.

Who Can Nominate a Teacher

Nominations can come from the teacher, the teacher’s principal, superintendent, peers, or a parent of one of the teacher’s students.

Nomination Form

Deadline: Noon on Friday, September 19

Previous Award Winners

2010: Veralynn Schilling, second grade, Abbie Sawyer Elementary School, Ames

2011: Betty Peterson, third grade, Baxter Elementary School, Baxter

2012: Jackie Scieszinski, seventh grade, Indian Hills Junior High, West Des Moines

2013: Kris Bigler, fifth grade, North Winneshiek Schools, Decorah

2014: Jeanine Lynch, second grade, Lawson Elementary School, Johnston

2015: Lynda Niffenegger, fifth grade, Crossroads Park Elementary School, West Des Moines

2016: Jenny Sinclair, fourth grade, Lakewood Elementary, Norwalk

2017: Sr. Donna Demmer, fifth grade, Resurrection Catholic School, Dubuque

2018: Darice Pamperin, third grade, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School, West Des Moines

2019: Debbie Wiley, third grade, Eason Elementary, Waukee