A math teacher at Scottsbluff High School has recently been named the 2015 Teacher of the Year in Nebraska by the Nebraska Department of Education. Members of the Nebraska DOE presented Shelby Aaberg with the award during a surprise ceremony held at the high school last week. Several of Aaberg’s colleagues, students, students’ families, and school administrators were in attendance to witness the presentation.
Aaberg was nominated for the award by several of his fellow educators and a panel of teachers from around the state of Nebraska chose him as the winner of the award based on his myriad accomplishments as a math educator as well as on the number of nominations he received.
Shelby Aaberg has been teaching math in Nebraska at the junior high and high school levels for the last ten years. He entered the teaching profession after earning his bachelor’s degree in education. He went on to earn his master’s degree in mathematics education in 2009 after he had already been teaching for five years.
Aaberg says that he wants his passion and energy for mathematics to come shining through his instruction and to “infect [his] students”. He went on to say that he prides himself on teaching his students that consistent effort, sound logic, and effective strategies are the main factors that determine success in his classroom.
One administrator described Aaberg as a natural leader saying that his innovative teaching style and his leadership are among his strongest and most valuable assets as an educator. The administrator went on to say that Aaberg clearly has a passion for the educational careers of his students as well as a “deep understanding of great teaching” that stands as an example to other educators in the Scottsbluff Public School District.