The Presidential Award is a tangible validation that my work and passions are important. The work I've been doing is seen and has made a difference to the students I have been lucky to have in my classroom. I am honored to represent my extraordinary colleagues, students, and families at Hucrest Elementary. This award invigorates me to participate in new and challenging opportunities. I am humbled to be accepted into this esteemed group of educators and it is certainly a highlight to my career.

Emily Lazur Roseburg, OR | K-6, Mathematics, 2022

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

Emily Lazur has been an educator for over 12 years. She has taught at Hucrest Elementary School for the last eight years and currently teaches all subjects of second grade. She recently looped with her second grade class in order to teach third grade mathematics and continue the work that was paused due to the pandemic. Prior to this, she taught for one year at Sunnyslope Elementary and for three years at Cobb School, during which experience-based learning was the foundation of her teaching. In the classroom, Emily fosters a learning community where risk taking, collaboration, and hands-on learning are essential. She believes children learn best when there is a shared excitement in the lesson between teacher and student. Students use real-world mathematics and her classroom is centered around student discourse. At the district level, Emily was sought after to pilot two mathematics programs for the district's curriculum adoption. With a small cohort of district-level mathematics leaders, she helped choose the curriculum that would best meet the needs of all learners in the district. Emily will soon serve as the school's Mathematics Leader and help other teachers create mathematicians who are curious, outside-the-box problem solvers. Emily is an author and illustrator of two published children's books under the pen name Louise Paris Lazur. She has held numerous author readings and book signings at the public library and at the school library where she teaches. The idea behind her books is to inspire children to take risks and believe in themselves, much like the growth mindset she instills in her students. Emily earned a B.S. in education at Eastern Michigan University and an M.Ed. from Oregon State University. She is a certified elementary teacher.

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