Being honored with the Presidential Award is a true testament to myself and my students that anything is possible through hard work and a positive mindset. This award is not about being the best teacher with the most knowledge but being the teacher who finds a way to convey knowledge in an inspiring and engaging way that commits all students to becoming life-long learners. It is about opening doors and changing mindsets and letting the next generation know that they can make a difference.

Stephanie Gleeson Moultonborough, NH | K-6, Mathematics, 2016

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Stephanie Gleeson has taught first through fifth grade at Moultonborough Central School for 13 years. She has served on the district mathematics curriculum committee for three years and is currently a teacher leader for her K-12 district's implementation of Common Core curricula. Stephanie leads the district in the implementation of Eureka Math and how to shift sense-making from the teacher to the students. Stephanie embraces and teaches the growth mindset for learning mathematics in her heterogeneous classes. Through explicit instruction about the benefits of mistakes, students willingly take risks, try various strategies, and critique their own thinking and the thinking of others. When students learn from misconceptions, they yell out in chorus, “light bulb!” to celebrate their learning. For the past two summers, Stephanie has presented on the mathematical shifts in the Common Core Standards at Leading Educators’ national conference in New Orleans, LA. Stephanie earned her B.S. in psychology and elementary education at Keene State College. She is certified to teach kindergarten through eighth grade elementary education.

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