Cindy Hasselbring, a math teacher at Milan High School
and an Eastern Michigan University alumnus, has won the
2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and
Science Teaching, the nation's highest honor for teaching
in this field.
She was awarded a $10,000 grant from the National Science
Foundation (NSF), which administers the program on behalf
of the White House, and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington,
D.C., where she was honored May 4.
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TOP EDUCATOR : Cindy
Hasselbring, a math
teacher at Milan High
School and an EMU
alumnus,
recently won
the 2005 Presidential
Award for Excellence
in
Mathematics and Science
Teaching. |
Hasselbring, who earned a master's degree in curriculum
from EMU in 2001, has taught Milan students in grades 9-12
since 1995.
"It's quite an honor. I was one of only 100 teachers
in math and science nationwide to receive this prestigious
award," said Hasselbring, who was nominated by her
principal, Ronald Reed.
Hasselbring, 32, was recognized for her innovative use
of technology to teach math, such as incorporating interactive
white boards with pixels to allow her students to make
up classes they missed. She also uses a remote system she
calls the clicker game, which allows students to click
a response during class.
To apply, she had to submit an hour-long videotape of
her teaching, which showed how she interacted with the
class during an activity, and had to write a 10-page paper
that reflected on her teaching.
"Excellent teachers help students learn challenging
mathematics and science content every day and the Presidential
Awards give us, as a nation, a way to show how much we
value and appreciate their contributions," said Celeste
Pea, program director of elementary, secondary and information
education programs at the NSF.
The presidential award is one of several national awards
recently won by Hasselbring. She was one of only 60 teachers
nationwide to be selected last year for the Toyota International
Teacher Program.
"We learned about Japanese culture and history, and
how to use it in class," said Hasselbring. "I
was able to use origami to teach geometry and my classes
are making 1,000 origami cranes to send to Hiroshima."
That experience encouraged her to apply for Toyota's traveling
alumni program. She recently learned that she is one of
only two teachers nationwide to be chosen for that program,
which is affiliated with the International Teacher Program.
Hasselbring flew to Los Angeles for a weeklong orientation
this month and then traveled to Tokyo to study architecture.
She'll also visit Kyoto where she'll take a traditional
arts course, participate in a tea ceremony and see a traditional
Noh Theatre production.
She also is active in the Network of Educator Astronaut
Teachers (NEAT), which helps teachers incorporate NASA
information into the curriculum, and is the assistant cross
country and track coach at Milan High School. She is a
resident of Milan.
