Educators

Teacher of the Year

Steve Weissenstein Named National Insurance Educator of the Year for 2004

James L. Osborne Insurance Educator of the Year Award winner Steve Weissenstein.

The Insurance Education Institute (IEI) has selected Steve Weissenstein, an Accounting, Business Law, Marketing, and Consumer Education teacher at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Illinois, to receive the James L. Osborne Insurance Educator of the Year award for 2004. This national award is named in honor of the founder of IEI and presented to a high school teacher who demonstrates excellence and creativity in providing insurance education to our nation’s high school students. Eligibility was limited to the 2,300 high school teachers to date who have graduated from one of seven insurance education institutes sponsored by IEI over the past 16 years and who have taught insurance during the past school year in a course leading to a high school diploma.

Mr. Weissenstein’s entry into the competition included teaching strategies, lesson plans, and student activities created to teach high school students about insurance, enabling them to become knowledgeable insurance consumers in their adult lives. Fulfilling a pre-requisite to entering this competition, Mr. Weissenstien completed the IEI sponsored Insurance Education Institute at Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, in 2003.

As winner of the seventh annual competition, Mr. Weissenstein has been invited to serve on IEI's National Advisory Council of Secondary Teachers (NACST) and to be a judge for next year's competition. He received his award in recognition of his achievement in education in a presentation before family, students and peers at a school recognition program on May 27. Larry Forrester, President and CEO, was on hand to represent IEI and to present the award. Also on hand to represent the institute at Illinois State University was Jim Jones, Director of the Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services, Illinois State University, Normal. Glenbrook South High School also received an award on behalf of Mr. Weissenstein.