Alumna named Teacher of the Year by the National Fire Protection Association

"You can't be successful if you're not enthusiastic."

Purdue University Calumet 1997 elementary education alumna Amy Dohl Hein has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching both inside and outside the classroom.

Hein was named the 2004 Teacher of the Year by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for demonstrating excellence and innovation in the use of "Risk Watch" and "Learn Not to Burn" programs. She teaches first grade at the Hickory Bend Elementary School in Glenwood, IL.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a non-profit, international safety organization that has developed a public education curriculum that teaches specific safety messages, such as seat belt and car seat awareness, to targeted age groups. The "Learn Not to Burn" program teaches fire safety messages to children in pre-K through grade 3.

Hein first began teaching NFPA's "Learn Not to Burn" program before working with the Illinois Champion Management Team (CMT) to implement "Risk Watch" in 2001 and has worked along side the CMT to inform and motivate community members of the importance of the "Risk Watch" program.

In addition to graduating from Purdue Calumet, Hein received the university's Outstanding Future Educator Award in 1998. She says the faculty motivated her to get excited about teaching. "You can't be successful if you're not enthusiastic."

Hein, the first teacher in the state of Illinois to be certified in Child Passenger Safety, became the "Risk Watch" district coordinator in 2003.

Hein says she is proud of her work with "Risk Watch", adding that she has two documented 'saves'(when an individual's action prevents potential harm) from her school since the program was implemented. One save was a student in Hein's classroom.

To date, Hein has personally installed 98 car safety seats and the user rate in her classroom has improved to 76 percent. Hein said, "I love what I do. I'm a teacher, that's just me."