At the 2023 Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles, the class of 2022 gathered together with veteran Milken Educators to build connections and find their voices in education. Read some of their takeaways from the Forum.
West Virginia Milken Educators offer inspiration and advice for aspiring teachers.
Leigh Beson worked in finance before following her heart into the classroom. She believes she’s a better teacher for the experience: “I am certain this is where I am meant to be.”
Emily Howard loves watching independence and collaboration blossom in her third graders: “There’s nothing like hearing students chattering with encouragement and questions as they work together.”
For Diana Lopez, the most meaningful part of her Milken Award notification was knowing her son Victor was watching: “There is something very special about looking at your child as they look back at you with pride in their eyes.”
Anna Norviel Attebury uses her after-school STEM club to introduce students to the concept of teamwork: “It can be challenging to share ideas rather than just getting to do things their own way.”
Dereka Duncan chartered her district’s first elementary Beta Club to build empathy and pride through community service: “My Beta members understand that they are able to impact others and make a difference even at a young age.”
Principal Megan Brown has led her school to new heights by focusing on targeted interventions, literacy skills, and collaboration: “We have leaned into one another, knowing that together we could accomplish anything.”
Dion T. Jones thinks about success as a long-term project: “It’s not an overnight process. It takes compassionate commitment.”
The teachers who helped Charlotte Buskill through her early struggles with dyslexia inspired her to pursue a career in the classroom: “Their insurmountable dedication to my success showed me early on the compassion, love and determination that educators possess.”
