I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this award. Receiving it at this moment reaffirms my life’s purpose: to share wisdom with everyone, to grow in love and to spread the light of knowledge with enthusiasm. Teaching is a two-way street in which, doing what we love, we give and receive; we create bridges to connect and enrich ourselves by giving the best of us to future generations. It is an opportunity to transcend; a way to reach the pinnacle of our mission through our actions.

Ruth Caraballo Cardona San Juan, PR | 7-12, Mathematics, 2019

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

Ruth Caraballo has been a teacher for 31 years and has taught all levels of mathematics ranging from arithmetic to calculus. Ruth has been teaching at Central High School of Visual Arts for six years. Previously, she taught at the Congregation Mita School for 25 years where she developed her professional skills as an educational leader. At this school, Ruth was the Mathematics Department Chair and the School Director for more than a decade. Since 2016, she leads the Advanced Placement (AP) Mathematics Program and has voluntarily spent numerous hours after school to tutor students in order to deepen their mathematics skills. This is one of her strategies for improving student performance. Thanks to this additional effort, her students scored the highest in Puerto Rico from 2017 to 2019 in AP Mathematics. The College Board of Puerto Rico and Latin America recognized her with the prestigious Adolfo Fortier award for the last three years. Ruth promotes mathematical thinking and reasoning skills in all of her lessons. She uses cooperative learning strategies, flipped classroom activities using technology, and hands-on activities to explore mathematics concepts. As a member of the Puerto Rican Society of Evaluation, Ruth participates in professional activities related to program and public policy evaluation. She has been a team leader of Middle States Associations Accreditation Committees and has delivered workshops to teachers at international conferences. Ruth holds a B.A. in secondary school mathematics, a M.A. in educational administration from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. She is currently finishing her Ed.D. in curriculum and higher education from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus.

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