By James Lomuscio
One might say that Karen Thomas’s love of math is in her DNA. Her mother is a certified public accountant, and her father taught math and science at the elementary and middle school levels.
Karen Thomas: “I always loved mathematics.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
“As I moved through school, I always loved mathematics,” says Thomas, 37, a 9-12 grade math teacher at Westport’s Staples High School.
It was during high school in her small town north of Bangor, Maine, that Thomas decided she wanted to be a teacher, too.
“Much of this decision was based on my experience in Mrs. Stevens’ pre-calculus class,” she said. “In my mind, Mrs. Stevens was a fabulous mathematics teacher.”
President Barack Obama and others now say the same things about Thomas. Earlier this week it was announced Thomas was one of 97 teachers nationally to be picked for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
The honor comes with a three-day trip to Washington, D.C. beginning June 27 for Thomas and her husband Michael (her parents are going, too). In addition to the awards ceremony, the trip includes meeting with members of Congress, a White House tour, a photo opportunity with Obama, and a $10,000 National Science Foundation award to be used at her discretion.
As Thomas chatted today at Staples, Principal John Dodig was in a conference with Frank M. Corbo, math department chairman who had nominated Thomas for the PAEMST award.
Corbo, too, had received the award 25 years ago from President George Herbert Walker Bush. Begun in 1983, the awards have recognized more than 4,100 kindergarten through 12th grade teachers.
“One of the things that she has been able to help to do for the department is to bring students to a point where they can get an in depth understanding, so they can use concepts the’ve learned to solve a real world, often ill-defined problems,” said Dodig.
“Once a kid makes the connection that this big idea is something I can actually use to solve something problems on the front page of the paper, Bingo, they’ve got it for life.”
Steven Leinwand, principal research analyst for the Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research, recommended Thomas for the award.
“More specifically, over the past 40 years, in a variety of roles, I have been fortunate enough to have observed over 3,000 K-12 mathematics lessons,” Leinwand wrote to the PAEMST committee in March.
” …One such lesson was an honor’s geometry class that Karen taught about eight years ago and that, quite simply, was, in terms of pedagogical skill and orchestration of learning, one of the finest mathematics lessons I have ever seen,” he added.
Thomas, a Milford resident, came to Staples 13 years ago after three years teaching in Stratford’s Wooster Middle School. Her time at Staples was interrupted by three years when she served as the school system’s middle school math coordinator.
When the school board eliminated coordinators’ positions, Thomas returned to the classroom. She also currently serves on the Westport 2025 Task Force, Superintendent Elliott Landon’s initiative to prepare students in critical thinking, global problem solving and communication skills.
Asked why she feels she was selected, Thomas said, it all goes back to her love of math, a love she transforms into “my passion in the classroom, the atmosphere.”
My son was fortunate to have Mrs. Thomas for Geometry Honors. She is truly a dedicated teacher who has her students best interests at heart. Thanks for all of your hard work and effort!
Robyn Linker