STEM Teacher Wins MacArthur Award
Amir Abo-Shaeer (John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation image)
Great teaching is its own reward. But, let’s face it, it’s wonderful when top teachers get a bit of recognition. Amir Abo-Shaeer, a California physics and engineering teacher, last week got more than just a bit of spotlight — he was one of the 23 MacArthur Fellows of 2010. The MacArthur Foundation annually gives out so-called Genius Awards — a no-strings grant of $500,000 each — to folks who excel in their professions.
Abo-Shaeer, 38, began teaching at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta nine years ago, after a few years of working as a mechanical engineer in the aerospace and telecommunications industries. A year later, he founded a school-within-a-school, the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy, which is designed to get kids excited about science and math, and to consider careers in engineering. It relies upon a rigorous applied-science curriculum that features hands-on projects. The senior capstone course requires the students to build a robot for the FIRST Robotics Competition, and Abo-Shaeer’s teams have won several regional, national, and international trophies.
When he began the academy, only two of the 35 students were girls. So, he began doing outreach to area junior highs; now girls fill half of his classes. Abo-Shaeer says that despite the widely-held perception that kids aren’t interested in these subjects, he’s got a “line out the door” of students wanting in. The foundation says his academy transformed the culture of the school, and its students are highly regarded by their peers.
A book about Abo-Shaeer, The New Cool, by New York Times contributor Neal Bascomb is set for publication in March 2011. “It’s an amazing thing,” Abo-Shaeer says about the award, adding that it will enable him to be creative in a field that doesn’t get much funding — or enough recognition, either.
Filed under: K-12 Education News
