Hailey Couch, Oklahoma's 2018-19 Milken Educator Award recipient, tries "to help change the world, one child at a time."
Empower learning, instill confidence and encourage ownership of the learning process: That’s what student-led conferences do for Emily Caldarelli’s fourth-graders at Paul Cuffee School in Providence. Here’s how they work.
Erica Stephens (TN ’18) loves the sincerity and enthusiasm of elementary students: “No matter where they are, you can reach them.”
Art teacher Michael Zaba (CT ’18) goes to great lengths to tie the creative projects in his classroom to everything else his students are learning: “I love making interdisciplinary connections.”
Fifth-grade math and science teacher Stephanie Whetstone (LA ’18) worked in journalism, marketing and public relations before pursuing a career in education: “I enjoyed the work, but something was missing. I wanted to truly make a difference.”
Every day, Brittany Larson (ND ’18) tells her first-graders that they are loved, smart and capable: “My greatest accomplishments are the lasting relationships I create with my students.”
With new students each year, changing curriculum and standards, and jobs that require 21st-century skills, Becky Streff (NE ’18) sees professional development and sharing best practices as an essential part of being an educator: “I need to change my practices to help prepare students for their futures.”
When new students join her fifth-grade class, Angie Beavin (KY ’18) tells them about her own fifth-grade teacher, who went the extra mile to help her adjust to a new school in the middle of the year: “I want them to know I will help them through this change. I want them to feel at home.”
Sara King (HI ’18) shares with students her holistic, whole-child view of success: “It’s about who you are as a human being and what kind of impact you make on our world and others.”
As a specialist, computer lab teacher Nichole Anderson (CA ’18) misses having one group of children to focus on all day. But sometimes, more is better: “I get to see so many kids and make them happy.”
