WVU Alumni West Virginia University

Since receiving the National Teacher of the Year Award in 1991, West Virginia native Rae McKee says still uses what she learned at West Virginia University to better the lives and educational opportunities of students. Although she is no longer in a classroom in her small school Hampshire County, she continues to work in hundreds of schools around the country spreading her passion for quality educational programming for all children.

McKee said receiving the award still seems like a dream. When President H.W. Bush landed in Marine One in the field next to Slanesville School, McKee said she went from being an elementary reading teacher in the mountains of West Virginia to a national celebrity thrust into the limelight…all in the span of a few minutes!

“I have been very fortunate to have been able to use that limelight for fifteen years to speak for the children and teachers of America” says McKee.

McKee explains that teachers do not apply for or seek the position of National Teacher of the Year, adding, “In no way does it mean that you have been chosen as the best teacher in the nation. You are selected because it is believed you will sincerely and effectively represent teachers in America.”

The job as a National Teacher of the Year involves extensive travel and work, but allows teachers to implement what they’ve been using in their own classrooms in a variety of settings. Recipients of the award rarely return to their classrooms because they have been given a unique platform to bring their experience and knowledge to other educators and politicians across the country. McKee has worked in all 50 states, Canada, Europe and Asia.

Since improved reading achievement is the prominent focus of today’s education agenda McKee says her expertise in literacy education has allowed her to maintain a reputation on the front line of policy reform. When asked why she won her award she simply says,
“I taught little children to read.”

McKee is the only recipient of the National Teacher award to have a master’s degree in reading which she earned at West Virginia University.

“I am always proud to say that I was a West Virginia Teacher of the Year before I was National Teacher of the Year,” adds McKee. “Of course being named West Virginia University’s Outstanding Alumna in 1992 was icing on the cake.”

McKee has always been inspired by the lives of the children she grew with in the Mountain State and the dedication of the many quality teachers she had as a student. McKee is a fifth generation teacher and comes from a long line of WVU alumnae.

McKee now owns Literacy for the New Millennium, a Houston-based education consulting firm. Her work has ranged from working at a small school with only one teacher on the Arctic Circle to designing curriculums for two Presidential libraries. She is now involved with rebuilding education systems in Hurricane Katrina-ravished Mississippi where many students and teachers are still living in shelters.

McKee attributes much of her national success to her graduate studies in reading education at WVU. One of her favorite professors was Dr. Eddie Kennedy, a world-renowned researcher and author in the field of reading.

“The foundation and quality of instruction and clinical experiences I had at WVU were so far ahead of anything that was available at the time,” she says. “Now WVU is on the cutting edge again by offering a nationally acclaimed five-year education degree to its students. I am always extremely proud to boast of my degree from WVU.”

McKee also loved the cutting-edge technology around campus when she was a student. One of her favorites was the PRT, then referred to as the “people mover.” McKee and her friends rode it at night for fun. At WVU she was introduced to the International Reading Organization, a program she is still involved with today.

McKee is always excited to be on campus. “Morgantown always seems like home to me because I have so many family and friends living in the area,” she adds. McKee says she still tries to get to WVU at least once a year to attend a football game or enjoy Mountaineer Weekend.

In Houston McKee stays active as a WVU alumna by attending game watching parties and attending other get-togethers. “It’s difficult to get used to wearing shorts and eating Cajun food while rooting against Pitt!”

McKee is very proud of her WVU heritage. “It is my hope that someday I can return to the mountains that I love. In the meantime, being an alumna, I have a great platform to tell the world about the innumerable successes of the people of West Virginia and the students of WVU.”