Dr. George Scouten, slated to be the new Academic Dean for Linden Hall in July 2010, has been named Upper School Teacher of the Year by the S.C. Independent School Association.  Scouten replaces Ms. Sally Watkins who retired this June after 10 years at Linden Hall and more than 30 years in education.

Scouten has been an educator for more than 16 years teaching English and humanities classes, including Advanced Placement (AP) English language and composition, European literature and global issues, among other courses. He currently serves as director of international studies and student life at Heathwood Hall School in Columbia, SC, and is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the school’s International Studies Diploma Program. Scouten has also chaired the school’s English department and served as Dean of Students.

“My life’s work has been – and will continue to be – the education of young people,” said Dr. Scouten. “So it’s impossible to think of a greater professional honor than to have someone say, ‘well done – you’re making a difference in the lives of your students.’ That’s why this award means so much to me.”

Scouten’s many honors include being named a 2009 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Seminar Grant Recipient; receiving a Turkish Cultural Foundation/World Affairs Council Grant in 2008; serving as an exchange teacher in Hungary from 2003 to 2004 as a Fulbright Recipient; and receiving an Elliott Award for Outstanding Teaching in 1998.

“For me, being a teacher means being a model: living out the engaged, inquisitive, compassionate and ethical behavior I hope to instill in my students,” said Scouten. “I want them to be confident, to use their minds well, and to take intellectual risks, so I try to exemplify the very behavior I seek to foster in my classroom.”

Because he believes teaching also involves reaching the total student, Scouten is heavily involved in extracurricular activities. Scouten founded the school’s Model United Nations program and was twice named South Carolina’s Lacrosse Man of the Year, with induction into the S.C. Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2006.  Scouten holds his Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of South Carolina; his M.A. in American Literature from Bowling Green State University and his B.A. in English and history from Salisbury State University.