The Presidential Award is one of the greatest honors a teacher can receive. It allows me to lead by example. It shows my students that the pursuit of excellence I expect to see in them is the same pursuit of excellence they can expect to see from me. Developing a growth mindset and accepting failure as part of the learning process is an important part of success. We should constantly strive to be a better version of ourselves tomorrow than we were today.

Ruth Howell Lyman, SC | K-6, Mathematics, 2022

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

Ruth Howell has been teaching for 25 years. She has spent the past 16 years teaching third grade at Lyman Elementary. She currently teaches third grade gifted and talented and is a First Lego League and Dash & Dot Robotics Coach. Previously she taught at Jesse Boyd Elementary, Carlisle Foster's Grove Elementary, E.P. Todd Elementary, and Spartanburg Day School. Ruth is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and has presented at the South Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference (SCCTM) and the Upstate Technology Conference (UTC) multiple times. She is a Microsoft Global Learning Mentor, a Certified Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, a Seesaw Ambassador, and a Flipgrid Certified Educator. Ruth has successfully written and received over $16,000 in grants to enhance the education of her students. Ruth strives to create an interdisciplinary, STEAM-infused classroom. She believes students learn by doing and embraces the concept that mistakes are part of the process. Each year her students participate in Computer Science Week and Engineering Week and were recently chosen to participate in the United States Space Force 2021 STEM to Space Initiative. Ruth believes learning goes beyond the walls of her classroom and has connected her students with classrooms and experts across the world. Her students have connected with scientists from Antarctica to South Africa and had the opportunity to interact with activists and authors such as Jane Goodall, Stacey Abrams, Chelsey Clinton, Cressida Cowell, Henry Winkler, and Dan Gutman. Ruth holds an Ed.S. in marriage and family therapy, an M.Ed. in elementary education from Converse College, and a B.S. in early childhood education from the University of Georgia.

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