Mitsuye Conover
2001 Inductee
School: | Bartlesville High School | |
Location: | Bartlesville, Oklahoma | |
Subject(s) taught: | Social Studies and English | |
Total years in current position: | 5 | |
Total years as a classroom teacher: | 30 | |
Education
1965 | California State University at Long Beach, Bachelor of Arts in Social Science |
1994 | Northeastern State University, Master of Education, School Counseling |
Career Experience
1983-Present | Social Studies & English |
1974-1979 | Social Studies |
1965-1973 | Social Studies & English |
Honors/Awards
2000 | Mid America Education Hall of Fame |
2000 | Finalist, National Teacher of the Year |
1999 | Oklahoma Teacher of the Year |
1999 | Bartlesville Teacher of the Year |
1st-5th Editions | Who's Who Among American Teachers |
1984 | Bartlesville School Foundation Grant |
1983 | Professional Improvement Committee Grant |
"It was through Mitsuye's influence that my son began thinking about moral, social and political issues. She helped him develop the critical thinking skills necessary to be a good citizen in our society." --Margaret S. Butler, |
Career Highlights
- Mitsuye Connover was born in a World War II internment camp located in California, where she spent the first three years of her life.
- She writes her own plays which eventually become part of a series of activities for each unit of study. These plays have been performed by her students for the student body, other schools and the general public.
- Her commitment to students is reflected by the creation of the Sean David Conover Charitable Scholarship Foundation which Mitsuye and her husband established after their only child was killed by a drunk driver.
"Mitsuye Conover transforms a normal classroom into a stimulating interactive environment in which students connect the concepts of history to their personal lives and prior knowledge base. Mitsuye involves her students in stimulating dialogue, role play, debate, dramatization, research, and writing. The students internalize the concepts that have been taught, and it genuinely becomes their own learning."
--Rita Baird, Ed. D., Executive Director,
Elementary Instruction, Bartlesville Public Schools
From the National Teachers Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2001 Inductees press release.... |
A tiny girl of Japanese descent Mitsuye Conover spent the first three years of her life in a World War II internment camp in California. She learned a greater appreciation for the rights of U.S. citizens, knowing first-hand the repercussions of losing those liberties. Today, through plays and portrayals of historical characters in costume, through a classroom which is a literal small museum of displays and documents, currency, clothing, newspapers, sheet music and artifacts, and through, in the words of a student, "giving her heart to students," Conover infuses patriotism and a love of country into her students of American history. |
"Like a waterfall of wisdom pouring into a river of respect, Mrs. Conover is a teacher with a deep, undying devotion to her students and her studies."
--Amanda Sigler, Student