Nov. 13, 2024

Long Elementary School's third grade teacher Tim Waters has been recognized by Emerson with the company's Excellence in Teaching Award!

Emerson is recognizing over 100 local educators as the 2024 honorees of the company’s Excellence in Teaching Awards. The long-standing annual program recognizes instructors throughout the St. Louis area who are selected by their school administration for an exceptional dedication to their students and school community. 

Waters was the 2024 Lindbergh Schools Teacher of the Year.

“Mr. Waters embodies the essence of an exemplary educator,” said Dr. Christina Phillips, Long Elementary School principal. “He is tirelessly dedicated to nurturing student success with unwavering commitment.”

Mr. Waters has been a teacher at Long since 2016, and has 14 years of elementary school teaching experience in all. He strives to create an engaging and supportive learning environment where students feel empowered to thrive and are able to think critically. He also looks for opportunities to foster a positive, inclusive learning environment while inspiring kindness and critical thinking. This year, Waters created a Third Grade Cereal Box Challenge to kick off a math unit on graphing, providing students with an opportunity to serve the community by collecting food items as well.

“I believe in the transformative power of education, and this is deeply ingrained in my approach to teaching,” Waters said. “Teaching is about more than disseminating information. It is about igniting curiosity and fostering growth.”

The Excellence in Teaching Awards program is local to the St. Louis metropolitan area where Emerson is headquartered. The program began in 1989 and is sponsored annually by Emerson.  A complete list of the 2024 award recipients is available here. Emerson will publicly recognize and celebrate this year’s honorees in a full-page commemorative advertisement in the Sunday, November 17 edition of the St. Louis PostDispatch.