The Presidential Award is an opportunity to further promote the importance and need of mathematics in the lives of my students. It will give me the means to enhance my current curriculum and to explore new ideas and technologies to reach all those I teach. I hope to use this award to inspire my students to explore and use math in their future. The award is recognition of the love of mathematics that my teachers had and in turn instilled in me.

Linda Coates Omaha, NE | 7-12, Mathematics, 2009

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

Linda Coates has taught mathematics for 40 years. This is her 38th year of teaching at St. Margaret Mary School. She teaches middle school Algebra and Pre-algebra, supervises the mathematics club, and coordinates an accelerated mathematics curriculum with an area high school. She created a website providing lessons, class information, mathematics exploration, and daily videos of classes for absent students and those needing to review. To promote quality mathematics instruction, Linda served on the Omaha Archdiocesan Math Committee and Math Curriculum Committee, and she is currently on the Archdiocesan School Board. She also coordinates a mathematics contest for grades four through nine for Omaha. Linda has received the following awards: National Catholic Educational Association's Distinguished Teacher Award, Plains States; Archdiocesan Metro Teacher of the Year; Edith Sliffe Mathematics Award; Cable’s Leaders in Learning National Award; Ike Friedman Educational Leadership Award; and Peter Kiewet Foundation for Excellence in Teaching Award. Linda has a B.S. in Mathematics from Creighton University and an M.A. in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska, and she is working on a web design certificate from Omaha Metropolitan College. She is certified in mathematics education for grades 7-12.

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