This award is the result of the gifts given me by teachers who worked with me through the years. This recognition both humbles and exhilarates me. I am humbled by the giants who paved my way and exhilarated to have met the challenge set by my students. To be a part of these students' discovery of who they are and to have assisted them in developing the tools to be lifelong learners has been my joy and privilege.

Marna Knoer Eugene, OR | 7-12, Mathematics, 2009

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

Marna Knoer has been a classroom mathematics teacher for 37 years. For the last 22 years, she has been teaching at Roosevelt Middle School. Previously, Marna taught at North Eugene High School and the University of Oregon. Marna loves getting students engaged in doing mathematics. She is often heard urging her students on by saying, "Mathematics is not a spectator sport." Students actively engaged in learning is the expectation in her classroom. Marna has been involved in leadership as a member of the School Site Council, as Eugene 4J Teacher on Special Assignment, as District 6 Representative to the Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and as a member of the Oregon Content Panel. Marna started a Math Circle that has nourished young mathematicians, many of whom have progressed to win state and national competitions. She has worked to make a summer session for struggling students become a place where students not only gain process skills but see the fun of learning, and she developed intervention models to meet the needs of diverse learners. Marna has a B.S. in Mathematics and an M.A.T. from the University of Chicago. She is certified as a science and advanced mathematics teacher.

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