We must ask ourselves, ‘How am I empowering all of my students to become active and meaningful contributors to our society?’”
Zachary’s Story
Zachary Herrmann came to teaching out of a sense of social responsibility. “It is not enough for me as an individual to know math, or science or a foreign language. It’s an interdependence we have on each other that behooves us to help others learn.”
At Evanston Township High School, Zachary organized a series of workshops on Complex Instruction, a teaching methodology that uses research in sociology and psychology to help structure and manage group work. In 2009, he was asked to join the Evanston Township’s District Equity Leadership Team, a group chosen for its capacity to exercise leadership and chart the course for the district’s efforts to promote equity.
Zachary’s presentation at the Metropolitan Mathematics Club’s annual conference was entitled “What the Math classroom could look like” and addressed ways to put many of the progressive and innovative ideals of education to practice in the actual classroom. In October 2010, Zachary was selected as one of Illinois’ State Board of Education “Those Who Excel” Excellence award winners for Early Career Education.