Great teachers never lose the student in themselves. They are always learning and developing new skills so they can better educate their students. That is certainly true for Green Meadow 2nd Grade Teacher Becky Cook, who was recently accepted into the New York State Master Teacher Program.
As a NYS Master Teacher, Mrs. Cook will participate in STEM professional development and attend leadership workshops over the next four years. She was notified of her selection earlier this month and begins the program with an orientation in January.
She is one of 15 teachers in the Capital Region to be selected as a NYS Master Teacher this fall.
“It’s exciting,” Mrs. Cook said. “The thing about me is I love learning. Even at this point in my career I’m still learning so much.”
This is Mrs. Cook’s 4th year at Green Meadow, though she has been teaching for 30 years.
Green Meadow 2nd Grade Teacher Becky Cook helping students during a STEM challenge activity.
Mrs. Cook said she is looking forward to attending workshops so she can learn more about STEM and integrate it into her instruction. She has been using STEM as a way of teaching students Portrait of a Graduate skills such as critical thinker and effective communicator.
On Friday morning, for example, Mrs. Cook had her students complete a STEM challenge in which they worked in small groups to build a symmetrical 3-D turkey using paper, tape and pipe cleaners. The students needed to work together and come up with solutions to complete the challenge with minimal information.
Mrs. Cook is also piloting the new benchmark program in the East Greenbush Central School District, so she hopes to be able to incorporate what she learns from the NYS Master Teacher program into that curriculum.
“Being involved in this program is going to give me so much opportunity to learn,” she said.
Mrs. Cook is the seventh teacher from the East Greenbush CSD and the second at Green Meadow to be selected as a NYS Master Teacher.
Congratulations!
NYS Master Teachers in the East Greenbush CSD
- Diana Prout
- Jessica Hladik
- Heidi Gleason
- Tom Ross
- Sue Schreck
- Shondra Conyers
- Becky Cook
About the NYS Master Teacher Program
The New York State Master Teacher Program, established in 2013, recognizes outstanding K-12 public school STEM teachers and counselors and sustains a statewide professional network of educators dedicated to professional growth and development. Master Teachers and Master Counselors are educational leaders committed to sharing best practices and to creating engaging and inspiring learning environments for all K-12 students as well as support for teacher and counselor preparation programs.