Greenville elementary school teacher stunned by national honor, $25,000 prize

COLUMBIA – November 1, 2010 – A Greenville elementary school teacher got the surprise of his professional life today with the news that he had won the prestigious Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award and its accompanying financial prize of $25,000.

Gresham Brown, who teaches fourth-grade language arts at Stone Academy in Greenville, had no idea that he was being considered for the honor. He was recognized at a schoolwide assembly headlined by State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex and Lowell Milken, chairman and co-founder of the California-based Milken Family Foundation.

Dubbed the “Oscars of Teaching” by Teacher Magazine, the MilkenNational Educator Awards were created in 1985 to reward, retain andattract top professionals to the nation’s schools.  Fifty-fiveunsuspecting educators across the country are being surprised with thenews of their $25,000 awards, which can be used any way they choose.The announcements are being made during emotional school-wideassemblies attended by state and local officials, students, peers andcommunity leaders.

“We’re honoring an outstanding teacher today, and it’s an incredible thrill to be here and see his shocked expression,” said State Superintendent Rex.  “Teachers who excel rarely get the recognition they deserve, and when that does happen, it’s wonderful to see.”

The Milken National Educator Awards are the nation’s largest teacher recognition program. Since the program’s inception, more than 2,500 educators have been recognized with more than $62 million in cash awards.

In South Carolina’s 12 years in the program, there have been 50 National Educator Award recipients from the Palmetto State whose cash awards have totaled more than $1 million.

“Our society’s most important profession is teaching as it informs all others,” Milken said.  “We created the Milken Educator Awards to proclaim in a very public way that greatness in education must be recognized and rewarded.  It is a message intended for entire communities, policymakers, students who may be inspired to enter the profession and for our nation’s K-12 educators themselves.”

Gresham Brown is a third-generation educator.  During his classroom morning meetings, he plays the guitar while teaching his students community building songs such as “Thank You for Being a Friend” or “Lean on Me.”  Known for his high energy, Brown uses every minute of each day.  Colleagues say that he is constantly teaching, whether working in groups or one on one with his students.   You will never find him sitting at his desk.  As a result, more than 80 percent of his students meet or exceed expectations on the district’s standardized testing.

Brown serves as a mentor-leader at Stone Academy, working closely with his grade-level team.  He is known for sharing lessons from his classroom “misfires” as well as his successes, and he has presented at national professional conferences.  His workshop on “Boy Writers,”  which incorporates word play, jokes, riddles and rhymes, is a faculty favorite at Stone Academy.

Brown’s personal blog for students and parents (stoneacademyroom241.blogspot.com) provides highlights of classroom activities, videos of  class work and offers examples of poetry, lesson plans and recommended read.  In addition, Brown’s blog offers “studycasts” that lead  students through test preparations. One parent notes, “It’s perfect for the kid who doesn’t have the parent at home to help, but it’s also great  for the involved parents. They tune in and get a true sense of what’s going on in the classroom.  It’s wonderful.”

At the end of each school year, Brown’s class has a song celebration where each student receives a Tin Cannes Award.  During this ceremony, he recognizes each child’s unique gifts.  (For example, an especially inquisitive child might win the Sherlock Holmes Award.)

Brown holds bachelor of arts and masters degrees from the University of South Carolina and is the recipient of the South Carolina Association for Educational Technology Innovation Program Award.

Next spring, award recipients will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the Milken Educator Forum, which brings together award-winning educators from across the nation to address innovative strategies to advance teacher effectiveness.  The forum will culminate in a ceremony at which the recipients will be honored and presented their $25,000 awards.

Recipients also join the Milken Educator Network, a coalition of top educators who have access to a variety of expert resources to help cultivate and expand innovative programs in their classrooms, schools and districts.

Selection of Milken recipients alternates annually between elementary and secondary educators.  This year’s recipients are elementary school educators.  Next year’s recipients will be middle and high school educators.

Educators are recommended for this prestigious honor without their knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by each state’s department of education. Recipients of the Milken Educator Awards are selected on the basis of numerous criteria, including:

• Exceptional educational talent as evidenced by outstanding instructional practices in the classroom, school and profession.
• Outstanding accomplishments and strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership.
• Strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership.
• Engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues and the community at-large.

Milken Family Foundation

The Milken Family Foundation was established in 1982 as a private philanthropic institution dedicated to discovering and advancing inventive ways to build human resources.  The Foundation, which creates and operates its own programs as well as providing financial support to other non-profit organizations, is involved primarily in three areas: education, medical research and health care, and community and human welfare.  For more information, visit the foundation’s web site (www.mff.org).