Lindsey N. Herting, MA, a psychology teacher at Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, has been named a national winner of a 2021
APA TOPSS Charles T. Blair-Broeker Excellence in Teaching Award
by the American Psychological Association's Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS).
Herting has been teaching for a decade and “quickly emerged as an advocate and a leader in the teaching of psychology in Lincoln Public Schools (LPS),” noted Jaclyn Kellison, MSE, MAHS, and Rob McEntarffer, PhD, of LPS. “Every year she serves as a mentor teacher for new psychology teachers in the district, helping them to become acquainted with the standards, learning objectives, and lesson plans needed to effectively teach psychology to high school students.” Herting also facilitates required professional learning for all psychology teachers in the district early in the school year and helped revise the district curriculum guide for psychology.
Herting teaches both Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) psychology at Lincoln High School, and the IB Programme includes a research requirement. Her dedication and guidance in independent research are known and respected at her school. Students are able to bring concepts they learned from Herting into other classes. “I find myself applying the analytical and evaluative research skills I gained under Ms. Herting’s guidance within other disciplines such as in evaluating historical biases and contexts to determine the value of first and second hand sources, or while analyzing experimental data in chemistry,” Olivia Haller, a former student, noted.
“Ms. Herting is one of those teachers who stands out because she embodies more than just the title of ‘teacher.’ Other descriptors that come to mind are: mentor, ally, advocate, teammate, friend. You would be hard pressed to find someone as authentic, dedicated, and passionate as Ms. Herting,” said Haller.
In addition to her work with students and teachers in Lincoln Public Schools, Herting helped to establish the Nebraska Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (NEBTOPSS), providing one of the only opportunities for collaboration and networking between psychology teachers in Nebraska.
Herting’s success in education “is also due in part to her ability to build positive relationships of trust and support with her colleagues... Through her patience, experience, and willingness to listen and collaborate, she has earned the respect of psychology teachers throughout Lincoln Public Schools, in Nebraska, and across the country,” Kellison and McEntarffer noted.
Herting “embodies all the characteristics of an amazing teacher of psychological science. She teaches students to think critically and evaluate deeply while simultaneously caring for them and nurturing their curiosity,” said APA TOPSS Committee chair Amy Ramponi.
For her passionate dedication to the field of psychology and teaching, TOPSS is honored to give Herting this award.
