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Jennifer Couch holds 3-year old Allison, who presented her mom with flowers, as they share the stage with husband Dave and Milken Foundation representative Lew Solomon. Photo/Special.

Kedron teacher surprised with $25,000 Milken Award

Fifth-grade math students at Kedron Elementary just might get the pizza party to top all pizza parties.

Their math teacher, Jennifer Couch, was one of just 100 teachers across the country to receive the prestigious Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, which comes with a $25,000 cash prize.

The money comes with no strings attached, meaning the recipient can spend it however she wants.

“If you guys win your Math Fax competition, there’s no question about who is going to pay for the pizza party,” Couch told her students as she made her acceptance speech Wednesday.

Couch was surprised with the award during a morning assembly that she thought was being held to honor the school’s outstanding academic achievements. State School Superintendent Kathy Cox and Dr. Lew Solomon from the Milken Family Foundation were on hand to make the special presentation.

Couch was one of two teachers in Georgia to receive the award that has been dubbed the “Oscars of Teaching” by Teacher Magazine. Couch and Susan Ralstin of Kanoheda Elementary in Gwinnett County were recommended for the award, without their knowledge, by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by the Georgia Department of Education.

In addition to the financial prize, recipients also receive an all-expense paid trip to attend the Milken National Education Conference in April 2005 in Washington, D.C.

This latest award is just one of many that Couch has received recently. Last year she was named Kedron’s Teacher of the Year and then several months later she became Fayette County’s TOTY.

Couch will represent the county in the state TOTY competition this spring.

Her students are not at all surprised by the honors and accolades she has received. They credit her with making math, an often intimidating subject, fun and easy to understand.

“I didn’t like math much before I had Ms. Couch. No it and science are my favorite subjects,” said fifth grader Sara Adams.

Couch teaches math by turning it into a hands-on activity. Instead of teaching measurement and geometry using a whiteboard and textbook, she had each of her students plan and design their ideal bedroom. The students calculated the area and perimeter of the space. They then determined the amount of materials needed to wallpaper or paint, carpet and furnish the room. The final presentations included 3-D models of the rooms along with a bid for completing each project.

Her unique teaching style has more than 95 percent of Kedron’s fifth graders meeting or exceeding state standards on the mathematics portion of the CRCT(Criterion Referenced Competency Test).

“Jennifer has the power to motivate. In all my years in education, I’ve never seen anyone who can motivate students like she can,” said Kedron Principal Karen Bullock. “Her style of teaching is not only exciting for students, but it makes them hungry for knowledge and eager to go above and beyond in their own learning.”

Couch’s husband, Dave, and 3-year old daughter Allison, were on hand to see Couch receive her award.

The school notified Couch’s husband over a week ago about his wife’s award but he had to keep it a secret.

“I asked, ‘Why did you have to tell me so early, this is going to be hard,’ but they wanted to make sure that I would be in town,” he said. “I’m just so proud of Jennifer. Her kids love her and if they win their competition, they are going to get lots of pizza. I hope they really like pizza.”

Established in 1985, the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards were created to help reward, retain and inspire the highest quality K-12 educators. Recipients are selected for the award based on their outstanding instructional abilities, contributions to the teaching profession, long-range potential for professional leadership, and the ability to motivate students, colleagues and the community.