This award is an incredible recognition of teachers’ efforts toward a national shared vision for improving the way students think and engage with the world around them. Education and careers in STEM fields are a means for our students to be globally competitive in the highest sense, while affording unique opportunities for students to excel. Additionally, this award is special to me because it represents the combined efforts of my own former teachers and my current peers in education. 

Joshua Steffenson Glastonbury, CT | 7-12, Science, 2013

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

Joshua Steffenson has taught Physics and Advanced Placement Physics to 11th and 12th graders at Glastonbury High School for the past 10 years. He is also an adjunct professor for the University of Connecticut Early College Experience program. Joshua has served as president of the Glastonbury Education Association for five years, and is a mentor teacher in Connecticut’s teacher induction program. Joshua is praised for his design of superbly organized lessons that emphasize the most important concepts; his flair for designing and implementing engaging experiments and demonstrations; and for inspiring young people and developing excellent relationships with them. Joshua has helped grow Glastonbury’s AP Physics enrollment to nearly 25 percent of each graduating class. He founded a B.E.S.T. Robotics competition team that has won the Northern Plains Championships. Presenting professional development on 21st Century classrooms, iBooks Author, and the use of video analysis are examples of Joshua’s contributions to the teaching profession. Joshua has a B.A., magna cum laude, in physics from Gustavus Adolphus College, a M.S. in secondary education from the University of New Haven, and has completed coursework in school leadership from Sacred Heart University. He is certified in physics and intermediate school administration.

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