Tag Archives: Business Teachers

Educator Mohammad Ahmad of New York earns an Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award

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Educator Mohammad Ahmad of the Bronx, New York, earned an Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award.

This year, ten remarkable educators from around the country have garnered a Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award from Amazon. One of these is Mohammad Ahmad, a teacher at Bronx Academy of Letters in the Bronx borough of New York City. This is the first year Amazon has award the prestigious award.

Mohammad was recognized for his work to promote diversity and inclusion in computer science. “Computer science skills will be of vital importance as we take on and solve the challenges of the future,” asserted CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer Jeff Wilke.

“Growing up, I didn’t see many faces like mine in education, whether they were male or a person of color,” recalled Mohammad. “I grew up in a single-parent, low-income household. Although my mother got creative and made sure to provide us with resources or alternative resources to broaden our horizons, not all families are as privileged,” he continued. “I started teaching to make an impact on the lives of all students, to be an ally to students of color who often don’t see themselves reflected in the staff of their schools, and to try to broaden the horizons of those students who might not have access to the same resources as those from higher income families,” he concluded.

Mohammad graduated from JP Taravella High School in Coral Springs, Florida, in 2010. After his high school graduation, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in History, Psychology, and Arabic from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2015. He completed the requirements for his Master’s degree in Adolescent Education with an emphasis in Mathematics from St. John’s University in Temecula, California, in 2018. After several years of experience working in the private sector, Mohammad accepted a position at the Bronx Academy of Letters, where he has taught for the past four years.

All of the ten honored educators received a prize package valued at over $50,000 to be used to benefit his or her school and students. In addition, Amazon donated an additional $25,000 in school supplies, including Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablets, classroom essentials from AmazonBasics, and additional items from Amazon Essentials. Award recipients also received one full year of Amazon Music Unlimited and a 12-month Audible.com Gold Gift Membership. Mohammad and his fellow award-winners also received a $200 Amazon gift card to celebrate his hard work.

To learn more about all the winners of the award, see this link at Amazonblog.

Jessica Davis named Minnesota’s 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year

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Educator Jessica Davis, a math and computer science teacher from St. Paul, Minnesota, has been named her state’s 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year.

Accolades are due to educator Jessica Davis, a math and computer science teacher at South St. Paul Secondary School in St. Paul, Minnesota. She’s been named her state’s 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year.

The honored educator confesses that teaching was not her first career choice. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry. She considered going to medical school, but soon realized teaching was her calling. “I’m good at navigating school, and I can help people,” she revealed. That’s when she decided to obtain a Master’s degree in Teaching and her teaching credential, both from Hamline University.

Jessica accepted her first teaching position at St. Paul’s Harding High School in 2006. She transferred to South St. Paul, where she has taught since 2009.  Today she teaches math and computer science to junior and seniors. She is also coaches the school’s math team.

Jessica also serves as the advisor of several student organizations on campus. These include the African American Student Organization, Sexuality and Gender Alliance, Comunidad De Latinos Unidos, and Women’s Society. She believes these organizations encourage students to see their potential. “Representation matters,” Jessica asserts. “It’s important to see yourself in who’s at the front of the classroom, in your literature, in your writings. It’s important to see yourself doing things that are important, that are giving back to the community,” she continues. “It is important for our students to see that they have a place in this community, and until they see those faces also doing it, it’s hard for them to imagine themselves in that spot.”

Read more about Jessica at this link by Education Minnesota.

Becky Cooper garners an Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award

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West Virginia computer science educator Becky Cooper garners an Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award.

Ten exceptional educators from around the country have garnered a Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award from Amazon. One of these is Becky Cooper, a teacher at Riverside High School in Belle, West Virginia.

Becky was recognized for her work helping students in under-served and under-represented communities build skills in computer science. “Computer science skills will be of vital importance as we take on and solve the challenges of the future,” declared Jeff Wilke, CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer. This is the first year Amazon has offered the prize.

Becky has devoted 11 years to working with students in the classroom, all of them at Riverside High School. Before she became an educator, she spent more 14 years as an IT business programmer analyst for Columbia Gas Transmission in Charleston, West Virginia.

In 1986, Becky earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Data Processing from Morehead State University, Morehead, Kentucky. There she minored in Biology.In 2008, she completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Teaching with an emphasis in Biology from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.

Each of the ten award-winning teachers received a prize package valued at over $50,000 to be used to benefit his or her school and students. In addition, Amazon is donating an additional $25,000 in school supplies, including Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablets, classroom essentials from AmazonBasics, and additional items from Amazon Essentials. Award recipients also received one full year of Amazon Music Unlimited and a 12-month Audible.com Gold Gift Membership. Becky and her fellow award-winners also received a $200 Amazon gift card to celebrate their hard work on behalf of computer science students across the country.

To learn more about all the winners of the award, see this link at Amazonblog.

Kansas educator Dyane Smokorowski inducted into National Teachers Hall of Fame

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Here’s another marvelous public school educator: Dyane Smokorowski of Andover, Kansas. Dyane, a Pre-K through 12th grade technology teacher in Andover Public Schools, has just been inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. “Mrs. Smoke,” as her students and colleagues call her, is known for bringing innovative teaching methods into the classroom. She also teaches using technology and hosts creative professional learning experiences which inspire educators. View the YouTube video below to learn more about Mrs. Smoke:

Richard Knoeppel: Recent inductee into the National Teachers Hall of Fame

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Richard Knoeppel: Stellar Las Vegas Career and Technical Education teacher and recent inductee into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

There are many fine classroom educators who have been singled out for special recognition. One of these is computer technology teacher Richard Knoeppel of Las Vegas, Nevada, who was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame earlier this month.

Richard earned his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Arts Education in 1967 from University of New York at Oswego. He earned his Master’s degree from the same institution the next year. In 2008, he earned an Advanced Studies Certificate from Southern Utah University.

Richard inaugurated his career in the classroom at Northport High School in New York, where he taught Drafting and vocational courses in auto shop and metal shop. From 1991 to 1994, he taught  Career and Technical Education at J. Taylor Finley Junior High School, also in New York. He spent the school year of 1994-1995 teaching Career and Technical Education to students grades six through eight at Robison Middle School. In 1995, Richard accepted a position as an instructor at Technologies Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he has been teaching courses in architecture. In all, this stellar educator’s career has spanned 31 years.

Today, Richard is a teacher-leader at A-Tech. He serves as the Career and Technical Education Department Chair. He is also a member of the Nevada STEM Advisory Council.

For his work in the classroom, Richard has earned many accolades. In 2007, he was named to the Clark county School District Excellence in Education Hall of Fame. In 2014, he garnered Teacher of the Year honors at Magnet Schools of America, Region VIII. In 2017, he was honored as the Nevada State Teacher of the Year.

“As a Career and Technical Education Teacher, I firmly believe that I need to provide my students with the knowledge and skills they will need to thrive in the future,” declares Richard. “I want to provide them with the ability to be successful in jobs and careers that haven’t been thought of yet,” he says.