The presidential award is not only in recognition of my services to my school community, but it is also in recognition of all teachers who continue to provide safe, nurturing, and robust curricula for their students. This award is a culmination and testament to all the fellow educators who lift other educators. It is a reflection of all those who believe in continued respect for our profession. As a voice for teachers, this is an opportunity to connect with other educators and be an advocate.

Shiela Lee New York City, NY | K-6, Science, 2022

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

Shiela Lee has been an educator for over 12 years. She is currently a student at Hack Reactor/Galvanize, creating tools for students and educators alike through code. She spent seven years at PS 59, Beekman Hill International School, most recently as the STEM cluster teacher for grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and, before that, a second grade mathematics and integrated computer science teacher. Previously, she taught at PS 321, William Penn School and at Hua Shan Elementary School in Taiwan on a Fulbright Fellowship. Shiela works to affirm her students’ identities by creating identity webs with paper circuits, integrating science concepts with artistic expression. She also encourages her students to use a growth mindset when coding and debugging robots. She highlights the lives, successes, and challenges of underrepresented scientists and STEM figures. Every year, she invites scientists from Google and from the LGBTQIA+ community to speak to her students. Additionally, Shiela incorporates American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with her students nonverbally. As a Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Equity Fellow, Shiela has presented vertically aligned and culturally responsive lessons in computer science on the local, state, and national levels. She is a master teacher fellow with Math for America. She participates in panel discussions about STEM and has published literature in the award-winning, peer-reviewed practitioner journal for elementary level science teachers “Science and Children.” Shiela has a B.A, cum laude, in philosophy from Grinnell College and an M.A. in curriculum and instruction from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is certified in teaching students with disabilities and childhood education, grades one through six.

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