The Delaware STEM Educator Awards shine a spotlight each year on K-12 teachers who go the extra mile to inspire the next generation in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Among this year’s winners are the Math Marigolds; a group of math teachers committed to cultivating the next generation of math educators.
One of the group’s founders, Brandywine High School math teacher David Maloney, says it was formed to help build a pool of math teachers.
“One of the people at the University of Delaware, Diana Roscoe, she was in charge at that time of the student teachers and was just interested in how do we build a program, how do we get more people involved,” Maloney said. “So, we kind of just started a group and we were like hey, let’s try to figure… like what could we do.”
Maloney adds that part of the Math Marigolds’ mission is to show that everyone is capable of both doing math and enjoying it.
“I’m a big believer that everybody can do math and even though there’s this fear and this scariness to it, we’re definitely trying to promote the… everybody can find some enjoyment in this,” Maloney said. “Everybody can find some connection to this, and everybody can be successful in it.”
Maloney hopes the Math Marigolds serve as an example for finding different methods of teaching and connecting with young students.
Other Delaware STEM Educator Awards recipients were Michele Timmons from Phillip C. Showell Elementary in Selbyville and Jordan Estock from Concord High School in Wilmington.
