President Obama Honors Chancellor Math Teacher

math teacher was in Washington, D.C. this week to meet with members of the Obama administration and Congress after it was announced June 11 that she won a prestigious national award given to math and science teachers.

Kimberly Riddle has been teaching math at Chancellor High School for 10 years. She is one of 97 teachers to win the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Riddle has been in DC since Wednesday.

Winners of this award received $10,000 from the National Science Foundation. She told the Free Lance-Star that she would like use the money for room and board for her daughter who attends University of Virginia this fall.

In a prepared statement, President Obama said that the country's success depends on our ability to educate children, give workers the skills they need and to embrace new technology.

“That starts with the men and women in front of our classrooms. These teachers are the best of the best, and they stand as excellent examples of the kind of leadership we need in order to train the next generation of innovators and help this country get ahead,” he said.

Here is the profile information for Riddle from the award website:

Kimberly Riddle has taught at Chancellor High School in the Spotsylvania County School District for the past 10 years. She has taught Algebra I; Algebra I Parts; Geometry; Precalculus; Discrete Mathematics; and Algebra, Functions, and Data Analysis.

In June 2008, Kim attended the Algebra through Function Academy in Duck, NC, where she learned the importance of teaching algebra through visualizations, pattern building, and contextual situations. Sharing the information with her colleagues, Kim assisted with the implementation of changes in curriculum and instructional methods in algebra-based classes in her school and district. 

Kim’s Algebra, Functions, and Data Analysis classes engage in many hands-on activities. She uses differentiated activities to help students discover patterns. Kim encourages student collaboration and exploration, and as a result, classroom discussions are enthusiastic and passionate.

Kim continues to improve her classroom instruction by participating in grants through the University of Virginia. The Capstone grant, which will be implemented next year, promotes college and career readiness through tasks, projects, and problems.          

Kim has a B.A. in liberal studies and an M.Ed. from the . She is certified in secondary mathematics.