Here's a feel-good story for you: out of hundreds of nominations, 20 finalists are now competing in GOOD's Great American Teach-Off 2013 for a chance to win a $10,000 classroom grant. 10 finalists compete against one another in each of the K-6 and 7-12 categories until two teachers, one from each grade range, go head to head in a final round.
Every Monday until April 7, a new video will be uploaded by each finalist. Right now, you can watch all 20 finalists describing what makes them innovative teachers. Each of these educators stands out for their work in the classroom, and we thought we'd highlight a few of them:
-- Bilingual 3rd grade teacher Emily Volkert uses data to track student progress and wrote "kid-friendly" standards that the entire classroom can understand.
-- 6th grade STEM teacher Christopher Craft encourages his students to pursue their interests in STEM fields by learning how to develop apps, film videos, and publish e-books.
-- 5th grade teacher Amy Steinberg implements project-based learning every step of the way, from students constructing their own political campaigns to tracking animals in nearby trails.
Voting for this round is open until March 10. Keep your eyes open on this one for some weekly inspiration and help reward a great teacher.
--
--