There are many talented and dedicated educators that devote themselves to their students in every state of the United States, and today we spotlight one from Colorado: Sarah Szymanski, an elementary school teacher from Colorado Springs who has garnered a coveted 2018-2019 Milken Educator Award. Sarah teaches second grade at Soaring Eagles Elementary School. The school, described as a gifted and talented magnet school, has named both a National Blue Ribbon School and a National Title I Distinguished School.
Sarah earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Pennsylvania State University in 2008. She reveals that she was inspired to become an educator after watching her mother, a now-retired sixth-grade teacher, develop lasting relationships with her students. “I realized that as a teacher you can effect change on a daily basis and become a lifelong figure in the lives of your students,” she says. “I don’t think there’s a better feeling than knowing that every day, you have the opportunity to create a long-lasting difference in the life of a child.”
Sarah has a reputation for being a natural leader, with an extraordinary ability to advocate for both students and colleagues. She serves as a grade level leader, and has been a part of many of her school’s and district’s committees, including Math Collaborators, Effectiveness and Results, and the Building Leadership team. She has presented at school and district inservices on literacy models and their implementation. Many visitors to Soaring Eagles visit Sarah’s classroom to observe her classroom management, community-building, and instruction skills.
The Milken Educator Awards, which Teacher magazine has described as the “Oscars of Teaching,” has been honoring exceptional educators over three decades. Milken Educators are selected in early to mid-career for what they have achieved to date, and for the promise of what they will accomplish as they continue through their careers. In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 top teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who are dedicated to strengthening education.