UMSL alumnus and Lindbergh High School social studies teacher Eric Cochran hugs Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Family Foundation, last week after being announced as a Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award winner. (Lindbergh Schools photo-Beth Cross)

Eric Cochran, a social studies teacher at Lindbergh High School in south St. Louis County, had no idea he would be the center of attention at an all-school assembly last week, according to an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The University of Missouri–St. Louis alumnus, MA history 2005, was stunned by the announcement that he was one of only 40 teachers in the United States to receive a prestigious national Milken Family Foundation Educator Award. Hailed by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching,” the award came with a $25,000 prize to be used however Cochran wanted.

According to the Lindbergh School District, Cochran’s colleagues have described him as a leader successfully nurturing and building his students’ confidence and inspiring them to achieve at levels they didn’t think possible. He has been named “Most Inspirational Teacher” six times by National Merit Finalist at Lindbergh High School.

More can be read about Cochran receiving the award in the Lindbergh Lookup, a Lindbergh High School student publication, which also shot video of Cochran speaking at the award presentation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKweAk0Y4zc&feature=player_embedded#!