Valpomag

Kuznik ’01 Named Indiana Teacher of the Year

Dan Kuznik ’01 with Suellen Reed, state superintendent of public instruction, at the ceremony recognizing Kuznik as 2008 Indiana Teacher of the Year.

Daniel Kuznik ’01 gained the insight at Valparaiso University that has helped propel him to the top of his career.

A mathematics teacher at Pike High School Freshman Center in Indianapolis, Kuznik recently was named the 2008 Indiana Teacher of the Year for his ability to inspire his students to learn. He will represent Indiana at the national competition in Washington, D.C., this spring.

“Valpo gave me a strong foundation as I prepared to be a math teacher,” he says. “The education courses that I took gave me great insights into the mind of an adolescent and how it operates. Teachers do so much more than teach their subject. They need to be well versed in student psychology and similar matters.”

Now in his seventh year of teaching, Kuznik credits Valpo professors Jerry Wagenblast, Gerald Speckhard ’52 and Perry Riffel with laying a foundation for his success. “Professor Wagenblast is one whom I modeled as I developed my own philosophy of teaching,” he says. “Gerald Speckhard taught me some great methods for the actual teaching of mathematics, and Perry Riffel was a great resource whenever I needed advice while at Valpo, and he continues to be.”

Kuznik has received several other honors for his efforts as an educator, including being named Pike Township’s District Teacher of the Year in 2006-’07 and receiving a Golden Apple Award in 2006 from Indianapolis Power & Light Company.

“Teaching is a reward in itself,” he says. “The times when a student finally grasps a concept that you have worked a long time with them on are the best. I enjoy teaching students responsibility and leadership in addition to helping them with their math. I pray no teacher underestimates the positive influence they can have on the lives of their students.”