Janet Riordan, Four Mile Kindergarten Teacher, Named 2025 Living History Farms Teacher of the Year!
Janet Riordan, Four Mile Kindergarten Teacher, Named 2025 Living History Farms Teacher of the Year!
We are excited to share some great news — Janet Riordan, Four Mile Kindergarten Teacher, has been named the 2025 Living History Farms Teacher of the Year!
This award recognizes an educator who does an exceptional job bringing history to life for students by using Living History Farms field trips, programs and tours. Janet was recently recognized at the farm’s annual Farmstasia event. And she received a complimentary field trip for her kindergarten class!
On November 12, 2025, Dan Jones, Living History Farms Program Director, visited Four Mile Elementary to present the Teacher of the Year plaque to Riordan. Her kindergarten class and older students who had Riordan in kindergarten showered her with appreciation during the plaque presentation.
“Janet always goes the extra mile to create and plan engaging experiences that integrate with the Iowa Core standards and Southeast Polk curriculum. She is very committed to our students and she is passionate about providing these rich opportunities,” shared Four Mile Principal Tammy Steenhoek. “I’m so happy for Mrs. Riordan! Before becoming principal at Four Mile, I worked as the Language Arts Coordinator for Southeast Polk and always admired her deep content knowledge and dedication to curriculum work. Now, as a principal and colleague, that admiration has only grown! She puts in countless hours creating meaningful, hands-on learning experiences for her students. She’s passionate, dependable, and incredibly skilled—her work ethic is contagious! Mrs. Riordan is a difference maker and is deeply appreciated by our students, families, and coworkers. This award is a great testament to her work.”
Riordan has been teaching at Southeast Polk for 28 years. She was also recognized in 2021 as one of five Iowa finalists for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Math.
Dr. Jo Ellen Latham, Associate Superintendent for Southeast Polk, praised Riordan’s commitment to experiential learning:
“Janet works hard to bring history to life and create memorable experiences for our young learners.”
Janet Riordan is a veteran kindergarten teacher at Four Mile Elementary who has dedicated her career to creating meaningful learning experiences for her students. She understands that young children learn best when they can explore, touch, and actively engage with the world around them. For Janet, teaching has never been about simply covering the standards; it has always been about providing her students with valuable opportunities that are both educational and memorable. She takes great pride in crafting lessons and activities that spark curiosity and help students make lasting connections.
Janet recognizes that for some of her kindergarten students, school field trips may be their only chance to visit cultural or historical sites in Iowa. She takes this responsibility seriously, viewing each trip not just as a fun day away from school, but as a powerful extension of the curriculum. For many years, Janet has been the driving force behind organizing a kindergarten field trip to Living History Farms. She understands the impact this experience has on her young learners. Living History Farms allows students to step back in time and see firsthand how people lived, worked, and built communities in Iowa’s past. While classroom lessons and books can provide information, it is the immersive, hands-on environment of the farm that brings these lessons to life for five- and six-year-olds.
Janet carefully connects this trip to Iowa’s kindergarten social studies standards. The experience gives students the chance to compare life in the past to life today, offering examples of how daily routines, tools, and communities have changed over time. They begin to see how geography influenced the way people lived and worked, and they practice sequencing events as they explore the history of farming and communities.
Janet Riordan’s commitment to planning this trip year after year reflects her passion for teaching and her belief that every child deserves access to meaningful educational opportunities. For her, the smiles, questions, and “aha” moments her students experience at Living History Farms are well worth the effort it takes to plan and coordinate the trip.
For more about her award, click here: Living History Farms Teacher of the Year
Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Riordan on this well-deserved recognition!
