Ever wonder what strategies Annie Sullivan Macy, often called the Miracle Worker, used to teach Helen Keller? Watch this 5-minute video below for insights from author Terry Marzell.
Elementary school teacher Christina Mesk has garnered a 2024 Big Apple Award from the New York City Department of Education for her work promoting global education experiences. Photo Credit: New York City Public Schools
Whenever an outstanding educator earns recognition for their work with young people, I am excited. Today I am excited about New York elementary school teacher Christina Mesk, who has garnered a 2024 Big Apple Award from the New York City Department of Education.
Christina teaches Special Education to fifth graders at Public School 1, The Bergen School, located in Brooklyn. She has worked at the school for 20 years. In her self-contained classroom, Christina has create a nurturing and supportive learning environment that is student-centered. There she places emphasis in which risk-taking is encouraged.
Most especially, though, Christina’s curriculum incorporates exchanges with students in other countries. “My students have used virtual exchange to speak with travelers and experts in Colombia, Cambodia, Mongolia, Bolivia, and Antarctica,” explains Christina. “These virtual exchanges have enriched our classroom experience and helped my students to understand that people in different parts of the world have different feelings and perspectives,” she continues. “The relationships they have formed with these travelers and experts have resulted in an understanding that there is more than one way to live life and be a human,” she concludes.
Christina earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Language Arts from the University of Mount Saint Vincent in New York in 2004. She earned her Master’s degree in Special Education from Hunter College in New York in 2008.
To learn more about Christina’s work with the Fulbright Global Classrooms Program, click on this link to an article published by the University of Mount Saint Vincent.
Virginia “Tess” Hinchman has named a recipient of the 2024 Big Apple Award by the New York City Department of Education. Photo Credit: Williamsburg Prep High School
The New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) does a fine job of recognizing their most outstanding teachers. This year, they have honored nearly 50 classroom educators who work in public schools within New York. One of these is Virginia “Tess” Hinchman, a Special Education and Language Arts teacher from Brooklyn. She has been named a recipient of their 2024 Big Apple Award.
Tess works at Williamsburg Preparatory School, a public high school located in Brooklyn, New York. She has worked at the school for three years. In her classroom, Tess develops curriculum that empowers her students to be in charge of their own learning. Her lessons emphasize learning through multiple modalities such as writing, discussion, and critique. She also develops engaging opportunities for students to make connections to real-world concepts.
Prior to her work at Williamsburg Prep, Tess taught in Madrid, Spain, where she traveled on a Fulbright Scholarship. There she d
This is not the only work that Tess has done with international students. She also worked as an ESOL Instructor and career mentor at the Irish International Immigrant Center in New York. And she also spent five months as a teaching assistant and volunteer at Foundation Minga Valpo at Valparaíso Province in Chile.
Tess graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations with a focus on Latin American Regional Studies from Tufts University, Massachusetts, in 2019. She earned her Master’s degree in Adolescent Education with a focus in Special Education and Teaching from Hunter College in 2023.
Congratulations, Tess!
Pennsylvania teacher Sarah Damato has been named a recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Special Education Teacher Award from NASET. Photo Credit: Springfield Area Educational Foundation
Many exemplary educators have earned special recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Sarah Damato, a Special Education teacher from Springfield, Pennsylvania. She has been named a recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Special Education Teacher Award from the National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET). The annual award is given to Special Education and inclusion classroom teachers that have been nominated by administrators, colleagues, or parents of students.
Sarah teaches Life Skills courses at Springfield High School. She has taught there since 2019. She also serves as the advisor for the campus Buddies Club, bringing general education students and students with special needs together to participate in activities outside of school. Over 200 students belong to this club. Furthermore, Sarah founded a non-profit called Support a Sport, which gives children with disabilities the opportunity to participate in sports. At least half of her students have participated in this program. And as if all that were not enough, she is also the Head Coach for the Unified Bocce Club. This year, 36 athletes participated on the team.
In addition to her honors from NASET, Sarah has been named Best Teacher Under the Sun from the local Sun East Federal Credit Union. The award acknowledges outstanding achievements by teachers for their efforts to inspire students to reach beyond their grasp.
Sarah earned her Bachelor’s degree in Special Education in 2011, an Autism Certificate in 2013, and a Master’s degree in Special Education with an emphasis in research in 2013, all from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. She earned a second Master’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from Relay Graduate University in 2018. In 2022, she earned a PhD in Educational Leadership and Administration from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jesica Pearce, a Special Education teacher from Jacksonville in northern Florida, has earned a 2024 Gladys Prior Award for Career Teaching Excellence. Photo Credit:University of North Florida
There are many dedicated and deserving educators who work in our nation’s schools. Occasionally, one of them receives recognition for their outstanding achievements. One of these is Jesica Pearce, an elementary school Special Education teacher from Florida. She has garnered a coveted 2024 Gladys Prior Award for Career Teaching Excellence. She is one of four northern Florida educators to win the award, which comes with a $17,000 check.
Jesica teaches students with varying exceptionalities to third, fourth, and fifth graders at Lake Lucina Elementary School in Jacksonville. Her career as an educator spans 22 years, almost all of them in Duval County Public Schools.
In addition to her Gladys Prior Award, Jesica was named a Duval County Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist. She was also named Lake Lucina Elementary Teacher of the Year in both 2013 and 2023. Furthermore, she has also been honored as a Microsoft Innovative Education Expert and received the prestigious Cindy Edelman Excellence in Teaching Fellowship.
Jesica earned her Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Education. She earned her Master’s degree in Art Eucation from Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts. Currently she is pursuing a second Master’s degree in Global Education through Arizona State University.
The Gladys Prior Awards for Career Teaching Excellence were established in 1998 by philanthropist Gilchrist Berg, founder and president of Water Street Capital, to honor teachers who have accomplished lifelong careers in education. Over the last 26 years, Berg has distributed more than $2 million to honor teachers in the Jacksonville area. The award is named after Berg’s fourth-grade teacher at Ortega Elementary School, Gladys Prior. The University of North Florida College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) manages the award on behalf of Berg.
