The Indiana Department of Education has named Franklin Community High School teacher Eric Jenkins as the 2024 Indiana Teacher of the Year.
Jenkins teaches tenth-grade honors/general English/language arts, as well as Indiana University’s Advanced College Project (ACP) Composition Course W131. Now in his thirteenth year of teaching, Jenkins began his career at the American Christian Academy in Ibadan, Nigeria, in 2007 and moved back to the U.S. in 2008 to teach in Trussville, Alabama.
An Indiana native, Jenkins returned to central Indiana after receiving his Master of Science in Literacy from the State University of New York in 2013 to teach at Franklin Community High School. In addition to the completion of his Master’s work, Jenkins has a Master’s certificate in High Ability Education and pursued additional training in order to strengthen his classroom instruction and teach W131 for dual credit.
"Eric is a selfless educator and a consummate professional," FCHS Principal Steve Ahaus said. "He is constantly looking for ways to grow in order to impact student learning. He values his colleagues and the power of collaboration in education. The great ones make the challenging tasks look easy, and Eric makes creating an amazing classroom environment look simple."
"Eric is the epitome of a great teacher. He is passionate about growing students and allowing them to reach their full potential," Superintendent Dr. Daivd Clendening said. "This passion drives him to find instructional practices that will engage students and make the wonder of learning come alive. The students at Franklin Community High School are blessed to have a “rockstar” in this profession to help increase their knowledge and understanding.”
"We have over 65,000 teachers in Indiana, and only one is named our Indiana Teacher of the Year," Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said. "While the candidate pool is fiercely competitive (because we have so many great teachers!), we annually name one special person, who then represents Indiana on the national stage."
As Indiana Teacher of the Year, Jenkins will work to help elevate the teaching profession in Indiana, as well as represent Hoosier teachers at the national level.
For over 60 years, the Indiana Teacher of the Year Program has worked to inspire, rejuvenate, and celebrate the teaching profession by recognizing outstanding teachers from across the state. The program encourages schools to nominate their local Teachers of the Year for this statewide honor. Finalists are selected from these applicants by a committee made up of former Teachers of the Year, IDOE staff, educational organization leaders, business and community leaders, and representatives from higher education.
For speaking and appearance requests, please email intoy24@franklinschools.org.