Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) Feb 25, 2007 – Atlanta’s top massage school, Atlanta School of Massage (atlantaschoolofmassage.com), is proud to announce that Laurie Craig has been named the 2007 Jerome Perlinski Teacher of the Year by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Jerome Perlinski, though not a massage therapist, was a strong advocate of massage therapy and used his expertise as an educator to help raise training standards, improve teaching methods, and educate massage practitioners about the importance of ethical and professional behavior. The AMTA selection committee was impressed with Craig’s Anatomy and Physiology study guide, high ethical standards and her innovative teaching methods.

The announcement of the award has prompted numerous congratulatory letters and emails from many massage professionals as well as students who studied with Craig as long as 20 years ago. Whitney Lowe of OMERI, a former student at the massage school and well known massage professional, helps to summarize the feelings of many well-wishers with his quote: “You have been an inspiration to thousands of practitioners and through them have touched tens if not hundreds of thousands of other people. Your contributions to this field have been immense and I count myself lucky to have been one of your students.”

Although Craig has worn many hats at Atlanta School of Massage over the years, her true passion is teaching and she feels honored to have received an award recognizing her achievements in this arena. She writes: “Whether it is teaching students to dissect a frog, discover the wonders of nature or tackle anatomy and physiology concepts, their discoveries and successes have always been a personal joy. I am blessed with the best topic in the world, that of biological sciences and the human body in health and disease. Through teaching, I have come to learn much more than would have ever otherwise been possible. The curiosity of my students has driven me to continue to learn, search for data and to come up with more ways to create a positive learning environment in my classrooms. I am now and will always be a ‘Biophile’ (one who has an affinity for and who loves life).”

The award will be presented at the AMTA National Convention and Teachers Conference this September in Cincinnati.