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A science teacher at California School for the Deaf, Riverside, has won a national award. Elizabeth Henderson was chosen as a winner of the Presidential Awards of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching for her science instruction, a deaf school news release states.
The award is among the highest honor from the U.S. government in the field of kindergarten through 12th-grade education, the release states. It carries an award of $10,000 from National Science Foundation.
Henderson, who is deaf, is “passionate about quality education in American Sign Language and English” and strives to “give deaf students full access to the Common Core standards and rigorous science education,” the release states.
She has taught at the Riverside campus for seven years, been involved in partnerships to boost students’ learning and has shared her successes and expertise with other teachers of deaf students across the state, the release states. Henderson teaches earth science, life science, and physical science to sixth- through eighth-graders.
She recently coauthored “The Vibrating Universe: Astronomy for the Deaf” in the Journal of Science Education and Technology.
Henderson traveled to Washington, D.C. to accept the award and join in a week of training sessions and events, according to the release.
“It is a celebration for deaf education, as it validates that deaf students of all levels can learn rigorous content and engage in critical discussions equivalent to their hearing peers when information is fully accessible via American Sign Language,” Henderson is quoted as saying in the release. “I am honored to serve in America’s education system and be given this prestigious award.“