Melissa Johnson will be given the Excellence in Middle School Math Teaching Award for the state of Illinois at the upcoming ICTM conference this September. Ms. Johnson teaches at Libby Elementary School in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.

Ms. Johnson has also led a math circle at Libby for the last two years, both during the academic year and the summer. As one of MC2's most committed teachers Melissa also leads Julia Robinson Math Festivals across the city, and starting this fall she'll lead our Haynes-5/6 at our new Hub at Chicago State University.

Lauren Sawyer, MC2's Curriculum Specialist, wrote, "She is never afraid to try an idea publicly, ask a question others might be wondering about, or reflect honestly on what worked and what did not. In doing so, she leads by example and helps create a professional learning environment where other teachers feel comfortable experimenting, taking risks, and growing together–much like the kind of learning we hope to create for our students."

After observing Melissa's classroom, Lauren said, "Before introducing the mathematics, Melissa asked students to reflect on experiences sorting objects in their daily lives. Students shared examples such as toys, laundry, and magnets, and she prompted them to consider the characteristics they used. By grounding the task in familiar experiences, Melissa ensured every student could access the activity while preparing them to reason about number relationships. Students then worked with partners to sort number pairs in ways that made sense to them, generating a variety of strategies."

We're proud to work with colleagues like Melissa, and are thrilled that she's being recognized as one of the most outstanding teachers in the state. Congratulations Ms. Johnson!

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