South Dakota elementary school teacher Abby Turbak has garnered a prestigious 2022 Milken Educator Award. Photo Credit: Watertown Public Opinion
I always enjoy sharing an inspirational story about a talented educator who has earned accolades for her work in the classroom. Today’s story is about Abby Turbak, an elementary school teacher from Watertown, South Dakota. Abby has garnered a prestigious 2022 Milken Educator Award.
Abby teaches first grade at McKinley Elementary School in the Watertown School District. Her career has spanned 13 years, the last eight of them at McKinley. In addition to her work with her first-graders, this hardworking educator has served on her District’s Progress and Curriculum Committees and her school’s McKinley’s Response to Intervention team. She also leads summer professional development sessions for District teachers on topics such as math grouping strategies, classroom management, technology, parent communication, and time management. When the pandemic closed the schools in 2020, Abby helped colleagues create their Google Classrooms to ensure students received high-quality instruction while learning at home.
Obviously, Abby was born to teach. “I became an educator because I wanted to make a difference,” she declares. “I love kids. I love seeing them learn and grow.” She earned the prestigious award in recognition of her efforts to maintain high expectations for her students, for expertly integrating technology into her curriculum, and for sharing her passion for professional development with her colleagues.
Abby earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 2010 and her Master’s degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education in 2011, both from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion.
The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to a $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.
