Niwot High math teacher Megan Schlagel wins award

Niwot High School Algebra 1 and AP Calculus teacher Megan Schlagel won the Teacher Leader Impact Award, presented by Edthena.

Edthena is a software program to help teachers use classroom video to help personalize professional video development and receive critical feedback. Teachers can receive feedback and instruction from an AI Coach and real-life mentors. Schlagel was nominated by an administrator at her school for having an impact in her classroom and beyond through her dedication to lifelong learning and the continuous improvement of her teaching practices.

"Megan truly exemplifies what it means to be a teacher leader," said Adam Geller, founder and CEO of Edthena. "In addition to the impact she has with her students, Megan is passionate about supporting her fellow high school teachers and continuing her own professional learning. We are proud to recognize her hard work and dedication."

"I love having the opportunity to work with students and to have a direct impact on building a positive, healthy citizen," Schlagel said, "who can hopefully go out into the real world and change it for the better. Math isn't just about learning the Pythagorean Theorem and the quadratic formula. It is about problem solving and having that resilience to try something out. It's all about having the grit and the perseverance to try a different solution strategy. Also, learning the logical sequence of steps that is often involved in math is an important skill for students to have in any career that they choose."

Schlagel will receive a school-wide subscription to Edthena's AI Coach for the 2023-2024 school year to further support her – and her colleagues' – professional learning.

Now that the school year is over, Schlagel will be taking a coaching course and will be teaching students who are in the eighth grade to ninth grade transition.