American history teacher Lanny Jay Westerman has been selected as Jordan School District's Teacher of the Year for 1991-92.
Westerman heads the social studies department at West Jordan High School, where he has made significant advancements in the school's advanced placement history program.Westerman serves on the school's community group and career ladder steering committee. He has the distinction of being one of 15 teachers in the nation to receive a 1985 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities for a four-week seminar in Boston. He is also a recipient of the Kiwanis International Award for Excellence in Teaching.
He received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Utah in 1979. He decided to become a history teacher after becoming ill in 1976 and reading extensively about the American Revolution.
After his graduation he was hired to teach English at West Jordan Middle School. The following year a position opened in the history department at West Jordan High, and his chance to become a history teacher materialized.
Westerman is also Jordan District's nominee for the National Teacher of the Year Program sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers in partnership with Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.