Emily Burrell

Reston, VA | 7-12, Mathematics, 2023

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

My students inspire my commitment to excellence in STEM teaching. I want them to benefit from a future where America leads in curing diseases and solving engineering and technology problems. To achieve this, we must expand the talent pool by ensuring that every student has access to high-quality STEM education. I want to remove barriers and open doors so that every student has the opportunity to contribute to a better future.

What has been the most transformative moment that affirmed your impact on STEM education?

There hasn't been one single moment that affirmed my impact on STEM education. My impact is greatest when working in collaboration with other educators. It is the synergy of ideas and the diversity of backgrounds that creates the biggest impact. A key moment of realization came when I partnered with five Fairfax County teachers. Together, we developed the assessment projects for FCPS's new curriculum for Virginia's Algebra, Functions, and Data Analysis course. For students who previously struggled with traditional math curricula, this course provided a pathway to access high-level mathematics through contextualized problems and projects.

Biography

Emily Burrell has been an educator for 24 years and has spent the last 11 years teaching 9th-12th grade mathematics at South Lakes High School. She most recently taught Algebra, Functions and Data Analysis; Algebra II; and International Baccalaureate Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation Year One. She previously taught at Wakefield High School for 11 years and at Fairfax High School for two years. Emily is dedicated to building strength in students’ voices, providing opportunities for students to share their perspectives, and developing structures to use these student assets to remove barriers and create educational opportunities that serve student needs. In the classroom, Emily works to build student self-confidence and agency through collaborative learning, including "Building Thinking Classrooms" among other structures. In her Algebra, Functions and Data Analysis class, she worked with students who had been marginalized by traditional curricula to provide opportunities for them to learn through real-world applications and project-based assessments. Emily has presented sessions at local and state conferences. Topics of her presentations include “Building Community Through Collaborative Learning” and “Building Mathematical Identity Through Open Ended Projects.” Emily has published in Virginia Mathematics Teacher and Education Week. She is a recipient of the 2023 TODOS Susie Hakansson Teacher Award. Emily earned a B.A. in mathematics from the University of Virginia and an M.Ed. in secondary mathematics from George Mason University. She recently earned a master’s certificate in education policy from George Mason University. She is a certified 6-12 mathematics teacher.

High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph

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