Congratulations to elementary school math teacher Lynda Brennan of Suffern, New York, an elementary math teacher who has earned a prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
This prestigious honor recognizes the dedication, hard work, and important role that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers. The honor comes with a $10,000 cash prize, a certificate signed by President Joe Biden, and a trip to Washington, DC, to attend an honors ceremony with the President.
Lynda has been a teacher at Richard P. Connor (RPC) Elementary School for 26 years. She inaugurated her elementary teaching career as a kindergarten teacher. She has also taught fifth grade mathematics and science. For the past 12 years, she has served her District as a mathematics specialist, working with area Math Ambassadors.
In addition to her work in the classroom, Lynda works with Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State (AMTNYS) as a Conference Committee Chair; Ten County Mathematics Educators Association (TCMEA) as an NCTM Representative; NCTM as a volunteer magazine referee; and with the Rockland Teacher Center where she facilitates a grant-funded elementary mathematics regional Professional Learning Community. In addition, she has been a speaker at national, state, and local conferences, including the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM), NCTM, AMTNYS, TCMEA, New Cubed, Building Math Minds and Minds on Math Virtual Summits, and the Penn Wood School in the United Kingdom.
As if all this were not enough, Lynda is the founder of the Math MileMarkers children’s book series, a project she inaugurated seven years ago. She says her philosophy behind this endeavor is that mathematics-infused stories can connect all learners to the subject of mathematics in visually powerful ways. The series includes such titles as “Miss Penny Says Prove It!” (2014), “On my way to Grandma’s House” (2015), “Charlie in Fraction City” (2016), and “Jayla Number Navigator” (2018).
Lynda earned her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management in 1986 from Siena College in Loudonville, New York, and her Master’s degree in Elementary Education in 1990 from Fordham University in the Bronx, New York.