Teacher Surprised with $25,000 Educator Award
Harvest Hills Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Lisa Brown didn’t see it coming.
In a school assembly called for students to hear from State Superintendent of Education Sandy Garrett and First Lady Kim Henry, Brown and hundreds of students and teachers heard the surprise announcement that Brown had won a check for $25,000 and one of the most prestigious awards a teacher may earn: the Milken Family Foundation’s National Educator Award.
"When they started talking about one of our teachers winning an award, I started thinking of all the wonderful teachers I teach with. I didn’t expect to hear my name," Brown said.
The announcement was made by Dr. Jane Foley, executive vice president of the Milken Family Foundation. The Milken Family Foundation created the awards in 1985 to recognize the efforts of some of the nation’s most outstanding teachers, principals and specialists in K-12 public education. The program has honored 17 Oklahoma teachers since it began in the state in 2000.
"Good teachers encourage children to perform to their fullest abilities and to develop a love of learning," Foley said. "Each and every day, these educators provide students with the confidence and tools to succeed. They deserve our thanks and recognition."
Harvest Hills Principal Mickey Wilson says that while the announcement of the award was a surprise, the fact that Brown won it is no shock.
"Lisa Brown is a natural teacher. She has great ideas and then delivers her lessons is a way that draws students in and creates excitement. She loves kids and she makes a difference in their lives. I appreciate the Milken Family Foundation for searching out and recognizing extraordinary teachers like Lisa," Wilson said.
Brown has taught for 15 years, 13 in Putnam City. As she walked to the front of the room following the announcement, she was mobbed by excited students and hugged by colleagues. That kind of spirit makes each day in the classroom a joy, she said.
"I am so lucky. Every day when I walk through the school doors to begin a day, I absolutely love it," Browns said.
Dubbed "the Oscars of education," the Milken Family Foundation’s National Educator Award is the nation’s largest teacher recognition program, developed to reward, retain and attract the highest quality K-12 teachers to the profession. Each Milken Educator receives an award of $25,000 – which can be used any way they choose – and an all-expense-paid trip to the annual Milken National Education Conference in the summer.
Each fall, as many as 100 exceptional teachers and principals in the nation – recommended without their knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by their state departments of education and confirmed by the Milken Family Foundation – are surprised by the news of their $25,000 awards.
Based on guidelines established by the Foundation, participating state departments of education appoint blue ribbon committees that identify candidates for evaluation and selection. Identification and selection procedures are confidential, and the program does not include a nomination or application procedure.
The criteria for the selection of outstanding elementary and secondary school teachers, principals and other education professionals as Milken Educators include all of the following:
• Exceptional educational talent as evidenced by effective instructional practices and student learning results in the classroom and school;
• Exemplary educational accomplishments beyond the classroom that provide models of excellence for the profession;
• Strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership; and
• Engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues and the community.
Brown is the second Putnam City teacher to win a Milken National Educator Award. Paula Dyer, then a science teacher at Mayfield Middle School, won the award in October 2001.
"I am thrilled that the Milken Foundation has again chosen an outstanding Putnam City teacher for this award. Our teachers work tirelessly to ensure that all students learn at high levels. This award recognizes that quality in Lisa and all our teachers, and gives us another opportunity to celebrate the wonderful things that are happening in our schools," says Dr. Jim Capps, superintendent of Putnam City Schools.