The Presidential Award is a tremendous personal and professional honor. I consider myself foremost a practitioner and feel that this recognition validates and celebrates my role as a professional educator. While my graduate degrees, research, and scholarship in mathematics education have brought acclaim and increased salary, they have failed to emphasize my role as a teacher. The application process and award add esteem and credibility to my daily labor of love: teaching children mathematics.

Rachel Reeder Logan, UT | K-6, Mathematics, 2018

The official biography below was current at the time of the award. For this awardee's latest biographical information, see their profile page.

Rachel Reeder, an educator for 13 years, most recently taught first grade Spanish dual language immersion (DLI) for six years at Bridger Elementary School. She previously taught third grade for six years at Heber Valley Elementary School. This fall, she will be teaching a preservice mathematics course at Utah State University. Coordinating with local universities, Rachel has participated in multiple research projects in her classroom. She taught a university undergraduate mathematics foundation course and conducted mathematics research as a research assistant. Rachel has given professional presentations at both state and regional conferences, including the Utah Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Additionally, she has coauthored several scholarly articles that are published and under review and has written a practitioner article for Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics. Rachel earned a B.S. in elementary and early childhood education and a minor in Spanish teaching from Brigham Young University. She completed her M.Ed. at Southern Utah University and is currently completing a Ph.D. in mathematics education at Utah State University. Rachel is certified in early childhood education, elementary education, Spanish teaching, English as a second language, and dual language immersion.

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