Congratulations are due to Laura Baker-Coronis, a high school math teacher from Connecticut who has earned a 2021 Milken Award. She is one of only 60 teachers nationwide to garner the coveted honor this year.

Currently, Laura teaches ninth graders at Ansonia High School in Ansonia, Connecticut. Her students use algebra to solve mysteries, compare cell phone plans based on data usage, design cars, and use real world data to make predictions and figure out which careers provide the most income. In the Cereal Box Challenge, a highlight of her geometry classes, Laura’s students design boxes to hold specific volumes, with constraints like production costs, graphics, and having to fit multiple boxes into specified shipping cartons. Every activity Laura designs centers around discourse, peer review, and teamwork Laura also emphasizes socialization, open communication, respect, and mutual commitment.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Laura serves as Math Department Chair, mentors student teachers, leads professional development in her district, and works on district committees for curriculum development and SRBI (Scientific Researched-Based Interventions). During the pandemic, Laura trained colleagues in Google Classroom, created instructional math videos to engage students, and helped re-vamp the curriculum to help students hit priority standards, despite the challenges of remote instruction. She also created a “problem bank” with thousands of sample problems for all teachers to use in their instruction in an effort to raise her school’s SAT scores.

Laura earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 2011 and her Master’s in Education in 2015, both from Southern Connecticut State University.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the award 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 whose work strengthens best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

Nichole Bowman, a high school math teacher in Pierre, South Dakota, has earned a prestigious Milken Educator Award. Photo credit: Pierre School District.

It is always a pleasure for me to share stories about talented educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Nichole Bowman, a high school school math teacher from South Dakota who has earned a prestigious Milken Educator Award for 2021-2022.

Nichole’s career as an educator has spanned a total of 15 years, all of them in South Dakota. She currently teaches Geometry, Algebra, and Algebra II at all grade levels at TF Riggs High School in Pierre. Previously she taught at Georgia Morse Middle School in Pierre, and she has also taught at schools in Rapid City and Kimball.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Nichole has worked for the South Dakota Department of Education (SDDOE) on reviewing and revising state content standards in math. She has also led workshops that share best practices for math teachers. She has also worked on a committee that explores policies that address the needs of the district’s diverse population.

Nichole’s work with her students goes well beyond the pedagogy. “I start by making sure they know it’s not just about math. It’s about them—about their education and how they learn, and what they know they are capable of,” she declares. “Half the battle as a math teacher, and probably any educator, is making them believe that they can do it. I really let them keep their own pace. I introduce a topic. Then, it’s really on them,” she continues. “They work in teams—three brains are better than one—and they work together, and they communicate. Communication is a big one,” Nichole concludes.

The Milken Award is not the only recognition Nichole has earned. Just last month, Nichole was selected Pierre School District 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Nichole is a native of Armour. After her high school graduation in 2003, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, with a Specialty in Mathematics, in 2007 from Northern State University in Aberdeen.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the award 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 whose work strengthens best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

Dedicated high school math instructor and college adjunct professor Jason Stroups succumbed to Covid-19 on Jan. 6, 2022. Photo Credit: Jefferson College

We are sad to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another dedicated educator. Jason Stroups, a mathematics teacher in Arnold, Missouri, succumbed to the disease on Jan. 6, 2022. He was only 52 years old.

Jason was born on May 11, 1969, in St. Louis, Missouri. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Science Education from the University of Central Missouri, and his Master’s degree from Southwest Baptist University.

In a career that spanned 30 years, Jason’s first job as an educator was as a permanent substitute teacher in his district. Eventually he worked his way into a job in the Central Office helping students earn their GEDs. From there he accepted a teaching position at Ridgewood Middle School, where he worked from 1993 to1995, and then he moved on to Fox High School, where he taught math from 1995 until his passing. In addition, for more than 20 years, Jason was was an adjunct professor at Jefferson College, Missouri Baptist University, and Maryville University.

“I have had a lot of people say he inspired them to be math teachers or he was the first teacher to get them to understand math,” recalls the fallen teacher’s daughter, Jennifer Stroups. “He really connected with kids who didn’t understand because he had to teach himself in a unique way because he didn’t like school growing up,” she revealed.

Jason worked at the school he attended as a young high school student. He and his wife, Kim, both graduated from Fox High School after attending Seckman Junior High School in Imperial, said Kathy Crandall, the fallen educator’s sister-in-law.

“He was fun loving and family oriented. He was dedicated to teaching and putting others before himself,” shared Jason’s widow, Kim Stroups, who now works as the librarian at Ridgewood Middle School. She commented that even after Jason was diagnosed with Covid-19 and hospitalized, he continued to work. “Even after he was admitted to the hospital and he was on oxygen, he had his computer out and was submitting college grades and answering questions about grades and finals,” she remembered.