ANSONIA, Conn. — A ninth-grade math teacher had a good kind of surprise Thursday morning when she was awarded the $25,000 Milken Educator Award in recognition of her excellence as a teacher.
Laura Baker-Coronis, who teaches math at Ansonia High School, was honored for how she creates learning environments that foster communication and teamwork while putting in place real-world applications of mathematics.
“Teaching is a noble profession; it takes great skill, ability, and perseverance. I am delighted that one of Connecticut’s educators is receiving this prestigious recognition,” said Connecticut Commissioner of Education Charlene Russell-Tucker. “The Milken Educator Award brings much-deserved focus to our excellent educators in Connecticut. I congratulate Ms. Baker-Coronis on receiving this award and thank her for her dedication to the students of Ansonia and her innovative practices in the classroom.”
The Milken Family Foundation said of Baker-Coronis, "She creates engaging environments, like allowing her students to use algebra to design their dream cars, comparing cell phone plans based on data usage and figuring out which careers provide the most income. In the Cereal Box Challenge, a highlight of Baker-Coronis’ geometry classes, students design boxes to hold quantified volumes with constraints like production costs, graphics and having to fit multiple boxes into specified shipping cartons."
She also developed strategies to help students catch up on learning after remote classes and a program to improve students' SAT scores with problems to solve.
Doug Stewart is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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