Two Kentucky elementary school teachers have been honored as 2012 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching recipients. The winners were announced Dec. 20, 2013.
Suzanne Farmer, a mathematics intervention teacher at Toliver Elementary School (Boyle County) and Patti Works, a science teacher at Cassidy Elementary School (Fayette County), are the Kentucky honorees.
Recipients of the award receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation and will attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities.
This growing network of teachers serves as a resource for improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and keeping America globally competitive.
The National Science Foundation administers the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Farmer has been an intervention teacher for the past six years of her 13-year teaching career. She trains other teachers across the state in mathematics recovery assessments, instruction, and early elementary mathematics Response to Intervention.
At Toliver Elementary, she created a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) Lab for all students and a Mathematics Leadership Club for girls to promote STEM careers.
In 2012, Farmer was recognized as a top 50 innovator in education by Converge magazine for using technology to help students reflect, document their thinking, communicate strategies to teachers and parents and educate peers.
Farmer has been a National Board Certified Teacher since 2004.
Works is in her 31st year of teaching and has spent the last 18 years in an elementary science lab. This is her 14th year at Cassidy Elementary.
Works served as a member of state committees on Kentucky science standards revision, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) review and science materials adoption. She is a member of the State Science Leadership Network and leads her district network, facilitating professional learning communities and content academies for 35 elementary schools.
As a presenter for the Partnership Institute of Math and Science Education Reform, Works has led sessions on content literacy and the NGSS.
Works was the 2006 Kentucky Elementary Science Teacher of the Year.
The 2014 awards will honor mathematics and science (including computer science) teachers working in grades K-6. Nominations close on April 1, 2014.
The 2013 awards will be for teachers in grades 7-12. The nomination process for the 2013 awards already has closed.
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