One of Clayton’s own teachers recently had the honor of receiving the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Earlier in January, Susan Carter, a kindergarten teacher at Glenridge Elementary, was selected as one of the top 100 teachers in the nation and traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive the esteemed award.

In 2001, Carter began her career in teaching at Jackson Park Elementary School, in University City.

“I always wanted to be a teacher,” Carter said.  “It was never a question.” In 2008, Carter came to the Clayton School District, where she began teaching kindergarten at Glenridge Elementary.

Carter applied for the award several years ago, with hopes of meeting President Barack Obama, who had not yet announced his candidacy for President.  Nevertheless, she was hopeful.

However, she described applying as a competitive and long process, yet she felt there were benefits to the completing the process.

“It was a great professional development process for me,” Carter said. “It improved my teaching going through the process.  It improved how I thought about [teaching] mathematics in elementary school.”

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching specifically honors high standards of math and science teaching.  Likewise, Carter believes that math and science education is of the utmost importance, especially in elementary school.

“[Today] people don’t understand basic science if they didn’t have the basic science they needed in school,” Carter said.  “So, now, they can’t make informed decisions in life, and that is a huge problem, not just for education but the world.”

To accept the award, Carter had the opportunity to spend a week in Washington, D.C.  For her, the most memorable moment was seeing Obama.

“It was cool,” Carter said. “When he walked in the door…everybody was clapping. Everyone was happy.  Everyone was excited to see him, because you just knew that he was excited that we were there.”

The President took the time to take a picture with the group of teachers and give a short speech concerning his goals for education in the United States.

“He could not have been nicer,” Carter said.  “I mean, he was everything you would think he would be, smart and articulate, and he clearly cared about education and teaching.” Carter explained how the President said that he was really committed to education and that it would be on his radar not just this year, but as long as he is in the oval office.

Other events during the week included a night visit to the National Museum of Natural History in the Smithsonian and a congressional breakfast at the Rayburn Building.  Carter described the week as a “whirlwind adventure.”

In addition, the teachers had a meeting with Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education for the United States, concerning the problems and issues with education in the United States.

“[Duncan] literally took off his jacket, took off his tie, rolled up his sleeves and said…‘what is it that you need or want as teachers?’” Carter said. “And then he listened to what people said.”

Some of the issues brought up included the need for more professional development, more equality between urban and rural schools, and a consistent national standard for training programs for teachers.  In addition, Carter emphasized the importance of teachers having good salaries.

“It’s hard to get people to stay in the teaching field when you could make much more money in a private sector,” Carter said.  Yet, it was never a question for Carter, who loves teaching her bright, little kindergartners.

“Children know so much,” Carter said. “They come to [school] with an enormous amount of knowledge about technology and science, and they observe how their world works and they deserve an excellent place in math and science education.”