This award celebrates continuous learning, growth, and pursuit of excellence in teaching mathematics. My journey began with self-reflection and a desire to build more meaningful mathematics experiences for my students, which have had a tremendous impact on classroom dynamics and student achievement. The support and expertise of my mentors and colleagues have been instrumental in achieving this goal. I look forward to continuing this journey and creating a lasting impact on mathematics education.

Abram Schwartz Bemidji, MN | K-6, Mathematics, 2020

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

Abram (Abe) Schwartz is entering his 11th year of teaching sixth grade mathematics at the Bemidji Middle School. He spent the previous seven years of his 18-year tenure teaching in the kindergarten through fifth grade setting at Lincoln Elementary School. Abe has been awarded several STEM-related grants that provided outstanding professional development opportunities, ranging from NASA Space Camp to the Summer Math Institute at Bemidji State University. These opportunities helped create a rich STEM program with diverse learning experiences for the Bemidji Middle School students. Inspiring a love of mathematics and fostering rich mathematical discourse are staples in Abe’s classroom. He uses real-world examples and active learning to keep students excited and interested in mathematics. Abe has a longstanding relationship with the Mathematics Education Department at Bemidji State University and has provided countless hours of classroom experience for the future educators in this program. He has also presented sessions on mathematics education at local and state conferences and has teamed with his mentors and colleagues to present at the NCTM Annual Meeting. Abe has a B.S.Ed. in elementary education and a Master of Mathematics Education degree, both from Bemidji State University. He is certified in communication arts and literature, kindergarten through eighth grade; mathematics, kindergarten through eighth grade; and has a Math Specialist degree.

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