Receiving the Presidential Award validates the process I use in my classroom to show students the beauty of the mathematics discipline. Each day, I strive to help my students make meaningful connections through collaboration and discovery. I am fortunate to work in a district with educators who encourage me to try new strategies that push my students to think critically. I look forward to inspiring future educators to bring this same love of mathematics into their own classrooms.

Tara Zechman Perrysburg, OH | 7-12, Mathematics, 2023

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

Tara Zechman has been a high school mathematics teacher for 20 years, 19 of them at Perrysburg High School in Perrysburg Exempted Village School District. She spent one year at Proviso West High School in Illinois. Tara teaches Honors Trigonometry and Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB to students across grades 10-12. She also implemented AP Calculus BC and currently teaches it in its inaugural year at Perrysburg High School. Tara strives to help her students see the beauty in the mathematics discipline and make connections between multiple topics. Her students guide the discussion and can be seen working collaboratively on a daily basis. Tara serves as the Mathematics Department Chair, overseeing 15 teachers in assessment development, data analysis, curriculum design, and new course creation. She has served on the District Leadership Team, Building Leadership Team, Bowling Green State University Teacher Advisory Board, District Math Team, and District Strategic Planning Committee. She also serves as head student council advisor. Tara was awarded the Master Teacher Distinction by the Ohio Department of Education in 2015, with a renewal in 2020. Further, she was the Perrysburg Schools Foundation Teacher of the Year from Perrysburg High School in 2015. Tara earned a B.S. in mathematics, cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame, with a concentration in secondary education and a master’s degree in administration and supervision from the University of Toledo. She is a certified teacher with 7-12 mathematics licensure.

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