This award is a tremendous "thank you" to the teachers whose talents I admired as a student, and to the dedicated educators with whom I’ve shared ideas and problem solved. It's a "thank you" to my talented colleague and husband, who's inspired me to improve my teaching, and to my children and my parents, who've encouraged me and taught me to be a better nurturer. I'm grateful for the honor of the Presidential Award and determined to strive for the level of excellence that it represents.

Amy Knerr Carmel, IN | K-6, Mathematics, 2008

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

For the past 17 years, Amy Knerr has taught sixth grade at Clay Middle School, 11 of which as a mathematics teacher. She teaches grade-level, advanced, and honors mathematics in addition to the school's sixth grade mathematics remediation program. Mrs. Knerr's specialty is differentiated instruction. Her approach to teaching mathematics does not focus on whether students simply get the right answer, but on whether they can explain their reasoning, identify a first step in solving a problem, consider alternative methods, and find and correct errors in computation. Her goal is to assess and respond to the unique learning needs of each of her students, the results of which have been reflected in improved class grade averages and student achievement. At the 2008 Indiana Council of Teachers of Mathematics state mathematics contest, four of the top five site winners in pre-algebra, including first and second place, were students in her class. Mrs. Knerr's commitment to teaching excellence extends far beyond the classroom. She serves on the school's Professional Development Committee, School Improvement Council, and Differentiated Instruction Cohort. As a member of her school's Building-based Team, she works with colleagues and parents to develop and implement intervention plans for struggling students. Mrs. Knerr has also been a volunteer presenter at the school's annual summer retreat, offering sessions on classroom management and differentiated education. Always open to innovative teaching approaches, she is piloting Everyday Mathematics, a curriculum focused on real-life problem-solving, for her school. Among her professional recognitions is the 2007 Edyth May Sliffe award for Distinguished Teaching of Mathematics. Mrs. Knerr has a B.A. in elementary education from Butler University and an M.A. in language arts from Indiana University. She is certified in first through sixth grade general education and has a license in gifted/talented education from Purdue University.

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