The Eichholz Prize
The History of the Prize
On his retirement from the position of His Majesty’s Inspector of Schools for the Deaf in 1930, Dr A Eichholz, CBE, was presented with a cheque together with a Book of Remembrance in which were inscribed the names of the friends of Dr Eichholz. He had devoted 32 years to the cause of the education of the deaf and that devotion had won him the admiration, the respect and the affection of the teachers.
Dr Eichholz generously handed the money back to the National College of Teachers of the Deaf (NCTD). He wished that his name might be associated with whatever decision the College arrived at for the use of the money and suggested it might take the form of a medal or a prize for a Teacher of the Deaf. The amount of the cheque was £90. A full account of the presentation is to be found in the College’s Journal ‘The Teacher of the Deaf’, February, 1931.
In 1931, the General Purposes Committee of the NCTD recommended the award of a Prize to be known as ‘The Eichholz Prize’ for the best student of the year presenting himself or herself at the Diploma Examination, providing that student had reached a sufficiently high standard. The Presentation Cheque was made up to £100 and invested in order to purchase books selected by the successful student-suitably inscribed – ‘The Eichholz Prize’, and to grant a Special Certificate – both the prize books and the Certificate to bear the seal of the College.
There is a long tradition of the profession training its own teachers. The first diploma examination was offered in 1885 by the College of the Teachers of the Deaf and Dumb and later by the National Association of Teachers of the Deaf.
From 1921 the Diploma Examination was offered by the National College of Teachers of the Deaf and later in 1977 by the British Association of Teachers of the Deaf until 1989 when it was transferred to Birmingham University.
As a result of the examinations for the Distance Learning Course at Birmingham University in 1992, the prize for the most outstanding candidate was awarded by BATOD to Mr Tom Coulter. Mary Hare Grammar School for the Deaf. Mr Coulter is congratulated on being the first candidate from Birmingham University to win this prize.
All Institutions providing training courses for Teachers of the Deaf are now invited to put forward the names of outstanding candidates for consideration by the BATOD NEC as recipients of the Eichholz Prize.
In June 2000 it was agreed by the National Executive Council to cease awarding the prize in this format. It was decided that annually an article will be commissioned for publication in the BATOD Association Magazine. The value of the prize will be awarded to the author of the Eichholz article.
Eichholz Prize format revived
Following discussions in 2007 it was decided revive the Eichholz Prize once again and to invite all Institutions providing training courses for Teachers of the Deaf to put forward the names of outstanding candidates for consideration by the BATOD NEC as recipients of the Eichholz Prize.
REFERENCES
The Teacher of the Deaf, February, 1931. Presentation to Dr A Eichholz, pp.147-152.
Register of the College of Teachers of the Deaf of Successful Diploma Candidates.
MARGARET EATOUGH, Chairperson 1992, Consultative Committee, Birmingham University, BPhil(Ed) / Diploma in Education (Special Education, Hearing-Impaired).
Eichholz Prize Winners 1931 to 1992 |
From 1998, Prize winners are given with the course they studied.
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| Part of the above information was taken from the Register of the College of Teachers of the Deaf of successful candidates which accounts for the differences in the names of some of the schools for the deaf. |
Kelly Hitchins is the latest Teacher of the Deaf to receive the Eichholz prize. She received it at the 2019 AGM which took place on March 22nd at the Jurys inn, Nottingham.
Rachel O’Neill nominated one of her students on the Moray House course (Edinburgh University) to receive the prize for 2010.
At the BATOD Scotland Conference in February 2011 Gary Anderson, BATOD President 2010-2012, presented Alison Robb with the certificate, bookplates and a cheque.
Deb Kent was presented with her Eichholz Prize by Gary Anderson, BATOD President 2010-2012, during the BATOD AGM 2011.
Rachel O’Neill nominated one of her students on the Moray House course (Edinburgh University) to receive the prize in 2008 and this was agreed by NEC.
At the BATOD Scotland Conference on 1 November 2008 Ann Underwood, BATOD President 2008-2010, presented Katrina Murray with the certificate, bookplates and a cheque.
Sue Lewis nominated one of the students on the joint Swansea/Oxford Brookes course to receive the prize in 2009 and this was agreed by NEC.
Louize Miller was presented with the certificate, bookplates and a cheque at the BATOD AGM on 13 March 2010 in London by Ann Underwood, BATOD President 2008-2010.
