By Noah Alatza
A Riverside Intermediate School teacher is among six Indiana educators who are finalists for the Presidential Awards, the nation’s highest honor for teachers of mathematics and science.
Holly Miller is in her third year teaching integrated STEM courses to sixth-graders. She said she was thrilled to find out she is a finalist.
“It is a pretty big honor and (a) pretty extensive application process, so it’s nice to see it all pay off,” she said.
The application requires instructors to record a 45-minute lesson and analyze how different the material could have been covered. The process also looks at test scores, student work and letters of recommendation.
Miller said the entire process took a couple month to complete. She is working on her doctorate in STEM curriculum and instruction through Texas Tech.
“I think everything we do as teachers we want to teach with excellence,” she said. “We want learning to be exciting and outstanding for our students. You have to constantly grow, research and find ways to do it better. It’s an eternal process and I love it.”
Miller and the fiver other Indiana finalists will be recoginzed during an Oct. 4 luncheon. National winners, two from each state — one in math and one in science — will be announced in summer 2020.
Indiana finalists were selected by a state committee and will participate in a recognition luncheon in the fall.
“Proficiency in mathematics and science is vital to a well-rounded education,” Jennifer McCormick, Indiana Supt. of Public Instruction, stated in a press release. “I am extremely proud of our Indiana finalists and want to recognize them for their dedication to excellence in these subjects.”
