Horace Mann teacher honored, early childhood teachers present at state conference

A teacher at Northwest Missouri State University’s Horace Mann Laboratory School was honored recently for her work in the early childhood profession.

Erica Buck, a kindergarten teacher, was honored on March 7 with the Missouri Association for the Education of Young Children’s 2025 Early Childhood Professional K-3 Teacher Award during the association’s annual Conference on the Young Years at Tan-Tar-A Conference Center in Osage Beach, Missouri.

Buck joined the Northwest faculty in 2016. She also is an alumna of the University, having earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary and early childhood education and a master’s degree in teaching early childhood.

“This tremendous accomplishment is recognition of excellence and impact in the classroom,” Dr. Tim Wall, the dean of Northwest’s School of Education, said. “It is so well-deserved and shines a bright light on the Richard Leet Center for Children and Families and the Horace Mann Laboratory School at Northwest. Teachers like Mrs. Buck dedicate their lives and their careers to excellence. This dedication rubs on the next generations of Bearcat teachers who observe and practice with her and, most importantly, the children she teaches.”

Additionally, Buck joined other teachers representing Horace Mann and the Leet Center as presenters at the conference.

• Buck presented with Sherry Bay, a transitional kindergarten teacher, for a session, titled “Fostering Visible Thinking: Incorporating Strategies in Your Early Childhood Setting that Foster Wonder, Curiosity and a Problem-Solving Mindset.” Buck and Bay shared their experiences with visible thinking strategies and effective routines for learning.
• Sandy Seipel, a Northwest associate professor of professional education, presented with Leet Center preschool teachers Erika Yocom and Julie Michaelsen for a session, titled “Wonder and Curiosity Through Light Exploration.” The session helped attendees learn how to foster critical thinking through the use of light in a preschool classroom.
• Leet Center infant and toddler teachers Racheal Wood and Tiffany Kribbs presented “Joyful Toilet Training,” providing tips and proven strategies related to toilet learning.
• Michaelsen and Yocom presented “Mid-year Trouble Shooting in Early Childhood Classroom,” discussing ways teachers can use observations and documentation to make changes that help keep children engaged, learning and connected.

Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the annual Conference on the Young Years is designed for educators working with young children and offers opportunities to network and gain information that fosters growth among early learning professionals.