To be chosen for the highly prestigious Presidential Award affirms the support of my school community and my passion for teaching science and engineering. I have been blessed with the opportunity to introduce many fabulous students to the subjects I love, and to guide them in their life choices. Teaching is a joy for me as I explore new methods and technologies within a community of talented colleagues. Receiving this award encourages me to continue innovating in my classroom.

Marshall Hobbs Jackson, MS | 7-12, Science, 2015

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

Marshall (Marsha) Hobbs has been teaching science, engineering, and technology at Jackson Preparatory School for 22 years. She currently teaches Advanced Placement (AP) Physics I for juniors, AP Physics C for seniors, and Introduction to Engineering (a dual credit course with the University of Mississippi School of Engineering) for seniors. Marsha works to create a student centered classroom enhanced with constant opportunities for hands-on learning. She develops critical thinking and problem solving skills in her students using modified modeling techniques and collaborative learning groups. Her students use the latest technologies throughout their learning, incorporating probeware for data acquisition, Google Apps for Education for classroom management, and web-based platforms for homework delivery. Marsha has been involved in reading AP Physics exams for 10 years and is also active in the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) where she has presented both invited and contributed papers, directed AAPT’s Apparatus Competition, and led workshops. She received the Distinguished Service Citation from AAPT and is recognized by the organization as a Fellow. Marsha earned a B.S. in electrical engineering and a M.A. in physics education, both from the University of Virginia. She is certified in secondary physics by the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools.

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