Montana educator, only one at her school for 25+ years, named nation's Rural Teacher of the Year

Bynum School in Bynum, Mont., has 12 students and one teacher, but that teacher is great one. For more than 25 years, Susan Luinstra has been teaching every subject in the small school that was built in 1914. Last week, she received the Rural Teacher of the Year Award from the National Rural Education Association in Oklahoma City, reports the Great Falls Tribune. (At left in a Tribune photo by Richard Peterson, Luinstra is greeted by her students at Great Falls International Airport.)

"Luinstra, who was named state Rural Teacher of the Year by the Montana Association of County School Superintendents in February, teaches kindergarten through eighth grade in Teton County's smallest school. She is known for providing students with a well-rounded education, plenty of one-on-one opportunities, monthly field trips and a lot of kindness, students and parents say," writes Peterson. (Read more)