The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education (AFMTE) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 AFMTE, Biofreeze and Bon Vital’ Educators of the Year Award. Juliebeth Mezzy is the recipient in the teacher category and Ariana Vincent is the recipient in the continuing education category.
“As educators it is our duty to provide our students with quality education. But as the needs of our community and students continues to change and increase, so must the standard of teaching. It is important that the standards of teaching continue to elevate in order to keep up with the continually evolving expectations of students, as well as the demands of the environment we are meant to prepare them for,” said Vincent.
The pool of applicants was of high caliber. Each applicant had to rate themselves on four out of the 10 standards from the National Teacher Education Standards Project (NTESP) Core Competencies for Massage Therapy Teachers. These standards describe the knowledge, skills and attitudes that form the basis for effective and successful teaching. The award honors excellence in massage and bodywork education and serves to foster a culture that supports raising the standards of excellence in massage and bodywork education. The recipients are chosen based on their experience, teacher training taken and how well they meet the core competency standards.
“This award is the culmination of every class I have written, instructed, revised, laughed at and cried over. It is dedicated to students. Without them, my soul’s purpose may have gone unnoticed,” said Mezzy.
Ariana Vincent
Vincent received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1979. She also participated in graduate studies in psychology at the JFK University and counseling at Texas State University. She regularly takes courses to improve her technical and teaching skills. She has been offering continuing education classes since 1999. In addition to hands-on courses, she also has a 30-hour course for massage therapy instructors on the subject of teaching adult learners.
Juliebeth Mezzy
Mezzy has been in the field of professional bodywork for over 22 years. She has been teaching at the Cayce/Reilly School of Massage since 2000. Her major focus is on reflexology, palpation lab, and chair massage. The majority of her teaching training has been informal, mainly through teacher training sessions offered at her school, and the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals’ Instructors on the Front Lines seminars.
Please join us at the 2015 Educational Congress in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to hear from these winners—and from the 2014 winners, Whitney Lowe and Cate Miller—as they share about the specific ways they demonstrate their commitment to excellence in education.
About the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education
The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education (AFMTE) serves as an independent voice, advocate and resource for the massage therapy and bodywork education community. Our mission is to support, strengthen and elevate educational practices and standards in massage therapy and bodywork. The AFMTE may be contacted at 1232 Bonefish Court, Fort Pierce, FL 34949. The phone number is (855) 236-8331; the general office email address is admin@afmte.org; and the website is afmte.org.