Franklin Community High School English teacher Eric Jenkins is one of three finalists for Indiana Teacher of the Year.
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A Franklin Community High School teacher is a top three finalist for 2024 Indiana Teacher of the Year.
English teacher Eric Jenkins got the news during a surprise gathering Tuesday, which former Teacher of the Year winners and Rebecca Estes, the Indiana Department of Education’s senior director of educator talent, leadership and innovation attended.
Jenkins recently began his 14th year of teaching, his 10th at Franklin Community High School. He splits his time between teaching 10th-grade English and a 12th-grade dual credit composition class.
Jenkins was chosen by his fellow faculty members to represent the school in the statewide contest. He then submitted a teaching portfolio and wrote a series of essays based on prompts as IDOE officials narrowed down the list of nominees. Essay prompts included issues and trends in education, teaching philosophy, and what drove Jenkins to be a teacher, among other topics.
The winner of the Teacher of the Year contest will be notified later this fall.
Jenkins meets all the characteristics of a Teacher of the Year, said Steve Ahaus, the high school’s principal, in a news release from Franklin schools.
“Eric is a student favorite,” he said. “After years of excellent instruction, he is very deserving of this award. He is a model for what we want a professional teacher to look like in the classroom and around the building.”
