NJ mathematics educator Clare Samuel garners a 2025 Sliffe Award

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Mathematics educator Clare Samuel from Princeton, New Jersey, garners a 2025 Sliffe Award for Distinguished Mathematics Teaching. Photo credit: Clare Samuel

There are many educators from around the country who earn accolades for their work with young people in public schools. One of them is Clare Samuel, a mathematics teacher from New Jersey. She was one of 25 educators throughout the country who earned an Edith May Sliffe Award for Distinguished Mathematics Teaching in 2025.

Clare currently serves as a 6-12 Math Supervisor and Teacher in Somerville Public Schools in Somerville, New Jersey. Previously she taught at Princeton Middle School located  in Princeton in western New Jersey. There she coached the Princeton Middle School MATHCOUNTS team, leading them to top individual and team finishes at the Mercer County College Chapter Competition.

While she was in the classroom, Clare integrated instructional technology to enhance learning; she included Desmos activities; and she designed lessons using Texas Instruments graphing calculators, Google Drive, PowerPoint and Keynote presentations, as well as DeltaMath and GeoGebra.

Clare earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 2009 and her Master’s degree Special Education and Teaching in 2013, both from the College of New Jersey. Her career as an educator spans 17 years, and covers both General Ed and Special Ed environments.

Clare says she is grateful for her Sliffe Award. “It affirms my belief that thoughtful, challenging math experiences can open doors for students and build confidence, curiosity, and joy in problem-solving,” she declares.

The Sliffe Awards are presented by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). The honors recognize exceptional middle and high school mathematics teachers who inspire and motivate their students in mathematics through participation in the MAA American Mathematics Competitions (MAA AMC). The competitions develop creative problem-solving skills and expose students to exercises in mathematics that are not often seen in standard classroom instruction. Every year, approximately 20 to 25 teachers are selected for the honor. Recipients receive a $500 stipend and full travel, housing, and registration fees to attend the MAA MathFest conference.

How teachers help preserve our democracy

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Today we celebrate the birth of our country! In contemplating the importance of this day, I am reminded of the role our nation’s many Chalkboard Champions have played throughout history to preserve and perpetuate the freedoms we all enjoy.

Classroom educators teach our children about our nation’s rich heritage, our history, and our system of government. They lead children in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance daily. They guide students in the creation of hand-traced turkeys at Thanksgiving. They teach them the words and music to our patriotic songs. They design lessons about the accomplishments of our presidents and social reformers such as political activist Martin Luther King and labor leader Cesar Chavez. They remind students of the contributions of our veterans. They organize patriotic festivities throughout the year. Our teachers even educate our kids about our failures so that we can become a better democracy.

And let’s not forget that many of our nation’s courageous teachers have become, themselves, a part of our country’s rich and varied historical record. There are many fine examples. Think of Olive Mann Isbell, the Ohio teacher who was one of many pioneers who established a school in the Wild West frontier. Remember Christa McAuliffe, the New Hampshire history teacher who became the first educator in space. Think of Henry Alvin Cameron, the Tennessee science teacher who sacrificed his life for freedom in the WWI Battle of the Argonne Forest. Appreciate Robert Parris Moses, the New York City math teacher who played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. Think of Carrie Chapman Catt, the Iowa teacher who dedicated her life to earning the right to vote for women. Consider Zitkala-Sa, the South Dakota teacher who worked to secure the vote for Native Americans.

From sea to shining sea, there are thousands of teachers in our nation’s history who have made contributions to our society in large ways or quiet ways as veterans, activists, and supporters of our democracy. We thank them all for the freedoms we celebrate today.

You can read about some of these heroic teachers in my first book, Chalkboard Champions, or in my second book, Chalkboard Heroes, both available on amazon.

Timothy Bloodworth: American educator, patriot, soldier, and statesman

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Timothy BLoodworth

Timothy Bloodworth was a teacher, soldier, patriot, and statesman from the Revolutionary War. Photo Credit: Founder of the Day

Chalkboard Champions have been as much a part of American life as any other hero since the very beginnings of our country’s history. One such historical figure was North Carolina educator, patriot, and statesman Timothy Bloodworth.

Timothy was born in New Hanover County, North Carolina, in 1736. He was named after his father, who had migrated to North Carolina from Virginia in the early 1700’s. As a young man, Timothy had little formal education, but he pursued a variety of careers.  Although  he spent most of his adulthood before the Revolutionary War as a teacher, he also farmed, kept a tavern, operated a ferry, practiced medicine, and preached occasionally. He also worked as a wheelwright and watchmaker, but he was probably best known as a blacksmith.

This talented educator eventually emerged as a leader in the movement for independence from Great Britain. When war broke out in 1776, Timothy began making weapons such as muskets and bayonets for the Continental Army. According to legend, he even saw combat as a sniper in fighting around Wilmington, North Carolina.

In 1778 and 1779, he served as a member of the state legislature for North Carolina. After the war ended, he held a number of political posts until serving as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1786. Timothy was elected a member of the House of Representatives of the First United States Congress, a position he held from 1790 to 1791. After his tenure in the House ended, he returned to the North Carolina State Legislature. In 1794, Timothy was elected to the United States Senate, where he served from 1795 to 1801. From then until 1807, this chalkboard champion served as collector of customs in Wilmington.

Timothy Bloodworth passed away on August 24, 1814. During World War II, the liberty ship SS Timothy Bloodworth was named in his honor.

Amos Bronson Alcott: Progressive educator, philosopher, and reformer

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Amos Bronson Alcott was a supporter of the Progressive Movement in the early 19th century. Many of his practices are commonly implemented in schools today. Photo credit: National Park Service

In the early 19th century, the Progressive Movement was responsible for great changes in the field of education. One progressive educator from this period was Amos Bronson Alcott, a teacher, philosopher, and reformer from Connecticut.

Amos was born in 1799 in Wolcott, New Haven County, Connecticut, the self-educated son of a farmer. When he grew to manhood, he became a prominent proponent of the Transcendentalists, a philosophical movement that emphasized the value of nature and the inherent goodness of people.

Even as a young man, Amos was interested in a career as a teacher. He disliked the rote memorization, lecture, and drill so prevalent in the schools of his day. Instead, he focused on the students’ personal experiences, advocated a more conversational style of interaction with pupils, and avoided traditional corporal punishments. He was one of the very first teachers to introduce art, music, nature study, and physical education into his curriculum. He engaged his students in Socratic dialogue to bring their ideas to the forefront. He treated children as adults, and would allow the class to address disciplinary problems as a group.

In 1834, Amos founded a “progressive school,” the Temple School in Boston. Under great skepticism and criticism almost from the start, the school still managed to stayed open for six years. Eventually it was closed, not because of its unorthodox methods, but because Amos, an ardent abolitionist, had enrolled an African American girl in the predominantly white school.

In 1859, Amos returned to Connecticut, where he was appointed the superintendent of Concord Public Schools. There he revamped the curriculum by introducing calisthenics, singing, and physiology. He insisted that his teachers use the Socratic method in their classrooms. He also established the first parent-teacher association. His work inspired later educational reformers. In fact, many of his practices are commonly implemented in schools today.

Amos was also an advocate for women’s rights. This remarkable Chalkboard Champion is probably best known, however, for being the father of Louisa May Alcott, the author of the classic American novel Little Women.

Amos Bronson Alcott passed away from natural causes in 1888. To read more about him, click on this link to the National Park Service.