The Presidential Award recognizes that the art of teaching requires continual reflection and improvement of one’s practices. I appreciate that my school encourages professional development which brings teaching practices to the forefront. For me, improving instruction did not occur overnight. It required a growth mindset and years of taking risks, making mistakes, reflecting on and learning from them, and always striving to improve a student’s mathematical experience.

Robyn Graziano Readfield, ME | 7-12, Mathematics, 2019

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Robyn Graziano has been a teacher for 18 years and has spent her career teaching mathematics at Maranacook Community High School. She currently teaches 9th-12th grade students in Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB and is the high school math interventionist. In addition, she has taught all levels of Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2. Prior to teaching, Robyn worked for 13 years as an electrical engineer for the state’s largest electric utility company. Robyn’s objective is connecting her students with mathematics. She works to develop lessons where students discover concepts and discuss their ideas. She enjoys using multiple strategies to help struggling students understand mathematical concepts. Recently, she employed a STEM Guitar program for a group of students where they learned mathematics while building their own electric guitar. Robyn is on the school’s leadership team and is the mathematics department learning leader. She has enjoyed working with colleagues on curriculum development and currently serves on the districtwide vertical team working on the K–12 mathematics curriculum. Robyn earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and an M.Ed. from Lesley University. She is certified in secondary mathematics.

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