Educator Tom Payeur named Vermont’s 2019 State Teacher of the Year.

The Agency of Education for the State of Vermont has announced that their 2019 Vermont Teacher of the Year is Tom Payeur, a mathematics teacher at Winooski Middle/High School in Winooski, Chittenden County,Vermont.

Tom’s career as a math teacher has spanned six years, all at Winooski. Even though he is relatively new to the profession, he has been hailed as an innovator in proficiency-based education. He has been instrumental in his District’s efforts to teach their students 21st-century math skills. His efforts have obviously been noticed by officials at the state level. “Through his leadership, Tom helped his colleagues merge their math curriculum into a single online curriculum to provide flexible pathways for students,” declares Vermont Secretary of Education Daniel French. “And, to quote one of his peers, Tom Payeur is ‘undoubtedly the most visionary math teacher I’ve known in two decades of teaching.”

The talented educator says his students constantly challenge him to explore new ways of problem-solving. “The interest and fun comes out when they’re really given the chance to work with each other, to make models, to share ideas,” Tom asserts. “I try as much as possible to share with them the fact that learning math is not so much about memorizing things, it’s about the ability to break down a problem, see what’s true about it, and then find solutions that work,” he continues.

Tom earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Economics in 2010 and his Master’s degree in Secondary Education in 2012, both at the University of Vermont located in Burlington, Vermont.

Congratulations, Tom!