Garay named finalist for Presidental Award

Lollie Garay, a local teacher, has been declared one of three Texas state finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

The winner will be announced in March 2004, but the nomination alone has already generated excitement at the Redd School, 4820 Strack Road, where Garay teaches third through eighth grade science.
If she wins, the school will receive $10,000 to enhance its science department. Garay, like any teacher, would love more resources for her classroom. But she says the financial award is not what's important.
"For me, the most important thing is the honor that's been bestowed upon the school with this nomination," she said.
The nomination came through the Baylor College of Medicine's Center for Educational Outreach, with whom Garay has worked closely for the last few years. She continuously participates in professional development programs and brings the materials back to her classroom.
"She has brought amazing programs for these children," said Ellen LeBlanc. "She works with NASA, the JASON Project, Baylor University and Rice University through the physics and astronomy department. These are all programs that our children are able to learn from, so they get the benefits of it.
"It's not in books -- it's in the butterfly chrysalises [displayed in the classroom]; it's in the projects. They're doing the science. It is really and truly amazing, and the children are learning science like no other children in the area."
Garay adds that it's not just doing the science, but integrating it with life -- making decisions and solving problems that apply to all subjects, not just science.
"Teachers who are successful are those who allow themselves to be facilitators," Garay said. "They allow kids to establish questions through dialogue, allowing them to come up with ideas and answers and to fail if they have to."
She believes children can not be afraid to fail if they are to succeed.
"You can't expect children to learn if you don't raise the bar for them," she said.
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching were established in 1983 by the White House and is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The program identifies outstanding elementary and secondary school science and mathematics teachers in each state.

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