The Presidential Award is validation for hard work, developed skills, and a creative approach to teaching science. Being recognized for effective teaching motivates me to continue serving my students and achieving within my profession. The award also makes me feel valued for my content-area expertise; my own training in biology drives my decisions about curriculum and instruction, and is key to my students' success.

Erin Dukeshire Roxbury, MA | K-6, Science, 2012

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

Erin Dukeshire has been a sixth grade science teacher at Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School for 3 years. Previously, she taught at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Public Charter School in Boston and served with Teach For America in Miami-Dade County.   Erin is a Turnaround Teacher Team (T3) Teacher Leader who leads the Orchard Gardens K-8 Science Team. Under Erin's leadership, the team implemented a cycle of frequent assessments; analysis of achievement data; and collaborative, data-driven lesson planning. This year, the team held the first schoolwide science fair, with more than 350 participants. Erin also mentors first-year science teachers and works with a colleague to implement a schoolwide system for reinforcing positive student behaviors.  Erin coordinates her school's partnership with Thompson Island in the Boston Harbor. During the summer, Erin has led a program on the island, where students learn science in an authentic outdoor setting. Outside of her school, Erin is an America Achieves Fellow and an alumnus of the Teach Plus Policy Fellowship. Through these fellowships, she collaborates with teachers from her district and across the country to advise education policymakers.  Erin has a B.A. in biology and Spanish from Bowdoin College and an M.A.T. from Simmons College. She is a certified teacher of general science and English as a second language.

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