Milken Educator awards surprise Rosa Parks’ Brittany Tinkler and Grassy Creek’s Angela Fowler
Students crowd around second grade teacher Brittany Tinkler for congratulatory hugs at her surprise Milken Educator Award notification.
(MILKEN FAMILY FOUNDATION PHOTOS)
(MILKEN FAMILY FOUNDATION PHOTOS)
By Al Stilley
Editor
The Southside has the unique distinction of having two 2022-2023 Milken Educator Award recipients among 35 teachers nationwide.
Grassy Creek Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Angela Fowler was among the early recipients during an assembly at the Clark-Pleasant district school last year in late November.
A dozen weeks later in Perry Township, Rosa Parks Elementary School teacher Brittany Tinkler became a recipient in another surprise all-school assembly, similar to those held locally and nationally for all award winners.
Each recipient also received an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000 that was awarded in front of enthusiastic and cheering students, teachers, administrators, and local, state, and national dignitaries.
They also receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in April and many more professional development opportunities throughout their careers.
The coveted awards are referred to as “the Oscars of teaching.”
Each Southside teacher instructs young students in mathematics and has implemented innovative ways to make sure the lessons take hold. Each teacher also comes from a family of educators.
BRITTANY TINKLER
Tinkler, an 11-year teacher, is a graduate of Perry Meridian High School with her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and masters from Indiana Wesleyan University.
She was praised for her innovative project-based learning programs that extend throughout Perry Township schools. She brings in community partners to introduce her students to new career possibilities and helps her classes outperform expected growth in math and English/language arts. She also launched a robotics club at the second-grade level which bodes well for continued interest beyond elementary school.
Milken Educator Awards senior vice president Dr. Jane Foley and Indiana Secretary of Education Dr. Katie Jenner presented the Perry Township educator with her awards.
“Brittany Tinkler is a treasure to Perry Township, drawing from her experience both as a classroom teacher and teacher leader to bring learning to life for her students every day,” said Dr. Foley, a 1994 Indiana Milken Educator. “It is no surprise that she calls Rosa Parks Elementary her second home.”
Dr. Jenner stated, “Mrs. Tinkler creates educational opportunities that come alive for her students,” Rosa Parks principal Matt Bush praised. “She is a strong advocate for Project Based Learning (PBL) and is beginning to mentor teachers in our building through that platform. This also shows our community the great instruction that takes place here; not just Mrs. Tinkler, but through all of our teachers. I am excited to continue to see the growth with Mrs. Tinkler and how that will impact her students for the future.”
She also serves as a master teacher and provides one-on-one coaching, co-planning, co-teaching, and professional development of her peers.
Perry Township schools also partner with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET).
At the podium, Tinkler fittingly spoke directly to students and challenged them to never stop learning. She is giving back to the community where she was educated.
Afterward with a media corps in attendance, she remarked, “Money aside, to get this award fills my soul, It’s like winning the lottery for my soul.”
ANGELA FOWLER
Also surprised by the award at an all-school assembly, Fowler enjoys teaching students at the upper elementary school level.
“You really see their interests start to come alive, and they are starting to form who they will become as a person,” she observed. “This is also where students start to see a lot of their mathematical foundational skills come into play when working with deeper concepts.”
She desires to move her students from math procedures and memorization to understand the “why” of math.
A former Riley Kid herself, Fowler took part in Riley Dance Marathons at Ball State and also introduced the fund-raising activity and week-long Riley activities at Grassy Creek Elementary School at the corner of Sheek and East Worthsville Roads.
She also praised her role models, principal Trina Lake and assistant principal Teresa Gross and two of her educators, Dick Gallamore and Mary Ann Chamberlain.
Unlike most teacher recognition programs, the Milken Educator Awards initiative has no formal nomination or application process. Candidates are sourced nationally, and then recommended with the final decision made by the Milken Family Foundation.
The awards are kept secret until the presentations at school campuses.
Editor
The Southside has the unique distinction of having two 2022-2023 Milken Educator Award recipients among 35 teachers nationwide.
Grassy Creek Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Angela Fowler was among the early recipients during an assembly at the Clark-Pleasant district school last year in late November.
A dozen weeks later in Perry Township, Rosa Parks Elementary School teacher Brittany Tinkler became a recipient in another surprise all-school assembly, similar to those held locally and nationally for all award winners.
Each recipient also received an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000 that was awarded in front of enthusiastic and cheering students, teachers, administrators, and local, state, and national dignitaries.
They also receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in April and many more professional development opportunities throughout their careers.
The coveted awards are referred to as “the Oscars of teaching.”
Each Southside teacher instructs young students in mathematics and has implemented innovative ways to make sure the lessons take hold. Each teacher also comes from a family of educators.
BRITTANY TINKLER
Tinkler, an 11-year teacher, is a graduate of Perry Meridian High School with her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and masters from Indiana Wesleyan University.
She was praised for her innovative project-based learning programs that extend throughout Perry Township schools. She brings in community partners to introduce her students to new career possibilities and helps her classes outperform expected growth in math and English/language arts. She also launched a robotics club at the second-grade level which bodes well for continued interest beyond elementary school.
Milken Educator Awards senior vice president Dr. Jane Foley and Indiana Secretary of Education Dr. Katie Jenner presented the Perry Township educator with her awards.
“Brittany Tinkler is a treasure to Perry Township, drawing from her experience both as a classroom teacher and teacher leader to bring learning to life for her students every day,” said Dr. Foley, a 1994 Indiana Milken Educator. “It is no surprise that she calls Rosa Parks Elementary her second home.”
Dr. Jenner stated, “Mrs. Tinkler creates educational opportunities that come alive for her students,” Rosa Parks principal Matt Bush praised. “She is a strong advocate for Project Based Learning (PBL) and is beginning to mentor teachers in our building through that platform. This also shows our community the great instruction that takes place here; not just Mrs. Tinkler, but through all of our teachers. I am excited to continue to see the growth with Mrs. Tinkler and how that will impact her students for the future.”
She also serves as a master teacher and provides one-on-one coaching, co-planning, co-teaching, and professional development of her peers.
Perry Township schools also partner with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET).
At the podium, Tinkler fittingly spoke directly to students and challenged them to never stop learning. She is giving back to the community where she was educated.
Afterward with a media corps in attendance, she remarked, “Money aside, to get this award fills my soul, It’s like winning the lottery for my soul.”
ANGELA FOWLER
Also surprised by the award at an all-school assembly, Fowler enjoys teaching students at the upper elementary school level.
“You really see their interests start to come alive, and they are starting to form who they will become as a person,” she observed. “This is also where students start to see a lot of their mathematical foundational skills come into play when working with deeper concepts.”
She desires to move her students from math procedures and memorization to understand the “why” of math.
A former Riley Kid herself, Fowler took part in Riley Dance Marathons at Ball State and also introduced the fund-raising activity and week-long Riley activities at Grassy Creek Elementary School at the corner of Sheek and East Worthsville Roads.
She also praised her role models, principal Trina Lake and assistant principal Teresa Gross and two of her educators, Dick Gallamore and Mary Ann Chamberlain.
Unlike most teacher recognition programs, the Milken Educator Awards initiative has no formal nomination or application process. Candidates are sourced nationally, and then recommended with the final decision made by the Milken Family Foundation.
The awards are kept secret until the presentations at school campuses.
Grassy Creek Elementary School teacher Angela Fowler steps forward to receive her Milken Educator Award and its $25,000 cash prize.
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