Above: Dale Hoggatt, a 4th grade teacher at Cecil Floyd Elementary and Joplin Schools' Teacher of the Year for 2005.

Hoggatt Named Joplin Schools' Teacher of the Year

Dale Hoggatt, a fourth grade teacher at Cecil Floyd Elementary for ten years, has been named the 2005 Teacher of the Year for Joplin Schools.

Originally from the Oklahoma City area, Mr. Hoggatt was a communications major who never intended to use the secondary teaching certification he had also pursued. He was employed at that time by a recreation park where he served as the education director. When the park filed for bankruptcy in the 1980’s, he decided to become an elementary teacher. Another year of schooling followed, and Mr. Hoggatt found his passion for educating children.

He taught for the next five years in Oklahoma City, and in 1995, he experienced an event that greatly impacted his life and his teaching career — the Oklahoma City bombing. The school where he taught was only 4.5 miles from the blast. He recalled, “the rafters of our old schoolhouse rattled and groaned.”

With the school principal out of the building on that tragic day, Mr. Hoggatt was the lead teacher. He locked the building down, met parents at the doors, and consoled teachers and students. “I nurtured students through issues no child should ever have to face, but we learned — and we grew.” He moved to Joplin later that same year.

During his ten years at Cecil Floyd, Mr. Hoggatt has developed a flair for creating unique learning experiences for students. “I enjoy taking the curriculum and making it my own,” he said. “I want my students to be inspired by what they are able to do in my classroom.”

His abilities and creativity have not gone unnoticed. “Dale utilizes excellent teaching strategies,” said Assistant Superintendent Charlotte Miller. “He truly engages his students in the learning process.”

As Teacher of the Year, Mr. Hoggatt looks forward to representing Joplin Schools and to communicating the district’s successes. “I am proud to teach in Joplin,” he said, “because we have come a long way in the past few years. I am happy to have been a part of that growth.”