Roberta Lineweber, a special education teacher with Beatrice Public Schools, has been selected as the 2014 Freda Battey Distinguished Educator Award recipient by the College of Education and Human Sciences. She will receive the award May 16 at an awards luncheon on the UNL campus.

The Battey Award honors the life and career of Freda Drath Battey, a 1923 graduate of the University of Nebraska Teachers College. She was a public school teacher in Ashland for many years. The criteria for the award is “excellence in teaching coupled with recognition in other complementary education activities.” In reviewing nominations, the selection committee in the College of Education and Human Sciences looks for evidence of teaching excellence, efforts to continue to grow as a teacher, commitment to students and engagement with students outside the classroom.

Lineweber was nominated by Kelly Maydwell of Beatrice, a UNL student majoring in pre-special education.

“Roberta is a highly motivated special education teacher who always brings out the best in students,” Maydwell said. “She helps them figure out problems on their own, helping them to be independent. She is an outstanding teacher, and I can’t think of anyone else who deserves this award more than her.”

Lineweber, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and a transitional specialist degree at UNL, has been a special education teacher in Beatrice since 1985. She will receive a monetary award for the honor as will Beatrice High School. The University of Nebraska Foundation provides both monetary awards from funds contributed by the Battey family when the award was established in 1986.

“Roberta enjoys being a teacher and her passion for making a difference in children’s lives is obvious,” said Jacquelyn Nielsen, director of curriculum for Beatrice Public Schools and assistant principal at Beatrice High School. “She is a master in the area of special education. I am truly impressed to watch her really take every student to the next level.”

“I have high goals for my students to be the best they can be,” Lineweber said. “I want them to be an advocate for themselves, be proud of who they are, respect themselves as well as others and have the social skills that when they graduate from high school they can be a productive member of society.”

For more information on the Battey Award, go to http://go.unl.edu/pfs7.