Susan Houser is the fourteenth recipient of the Edwin A. Hoey Award for Outstanding Educator in the English Language Arts which recognizes exceptional English language arts teachers of grades 5-8 who have demonstrated excellence in teaching English language arts and inspired a spirit of inquiry and a love of learning in their students.
The Edwin A. Hoey Award, cosponsored by the Weekly Reader Corporation, honors Edwin A. (Ted) Hoey, who brought limitless imagination and creativity to the pages of READ magazine during his nearly forty-year career as writer, editor, and managing editor of the renowned literature and language arts classroom periodical. Hoey's efforts enriched the work of both countless middle level teachers of English language arts and the lives of their students.
Susan has been in education for over 20 years and is currently a 7th grade Language Arts teacher at Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School in St. Petersburg, Florida. She participates in delivering professional development for her district as well as being the faculty advisor for the school newspaper.
Susan’s participation in the profession goes beyond her classroom and her district. She has been an active member of NCTE and the Florida Council of Teachers of English FCTE) in a variety of leadership positions. She has been on the NCTE Executive Committee as the middle level rep-at-large, on the middle level nominating committee, and on the local committee that assisted with the planning for the NCTE Annual Convention in Orlando. In addition, she was an integral part of the planning and implementation of an FCTE group that created a Florida Advocacy Day modeled after the work of NCTE in Washington, D.C.
Susan explains, “Every place that I have taught, mentored teachers or worked with parents and teachers, I have gained tremendous knowledge about teaching. I consider all the activities that I do a culmination of all the experiences I have had over the years.”
Read more about Susan through her award narrative. 
Join us for the Hoey Award celebration at the Middle Level Luncheon on Friday, November 18, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois during the NCTE Annual Convention.