I have always viewed my teaching as a work in progress, so being nominated for this prestigious award by my principal was unexpected, but it was a validation of all the effort I have put in throughout my career to continue to get better as a teacher. However, I would not interpret winning to mean that I have reached the pinnacle. Instead, winning energizes me to work even harder to ensure that I continue to live up to the standards of excellence that the Presidential Award has established.

Benjamin Molberger Louisville, KY | 7-12, Mathematics, 2021

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

Benjamin Molberger joined Jefferson County Public Schools in 2011. He has been teaching 10th grade Geometry at Jeffersontown High School for the past year. Prior to this, Benjamin taught at Atherton High School and at Doss High School for six years each. At both schools, he taught Geometry, Precalculus, Advanced Placement Calculus, and, most recently, he had been teaching Analysis and Approaches Higher Level, part of the International Baccalaureate's Diploma Programme. In his classroom, Benjamin utilizes an inquiry- and problem-based approach to teaching mathematics. He also embraces discussions and writing in his classroom to help students improve their ability to communicate mathematics clearly. As a department chair at Atherton, Benjamin has served on their Instructional Leadership Team. He helped lead the school's initiative to ensure all students have access to and are prepared for college-level coursework, including setting a goal of all students taking at least one mathematics course that could earn college credit before they graduate. After a brief career in information technology, Benjamin moved to Louisville after being recruited as an alternative certification candidate by Teach Kentucky. Over the last 13 years, he has given back to the organization by leading small workshops for new teachers as part of Teach Kentucky's Summer Institute for incoming new teachers. He has led content-specific sessions, as well as sessions for teachers of all content areas including classroom management and questioning techniques. Benjamin earned a B.A. in mathematics from Middlebury College, and an M.A.T. and M.Ed. from the University of Louisville. He is certified to teach mathematics for grades 8-12 and holds endorsements in teacher leadership and instructional technology.

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