The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh College of Education and Human Services will recognize the outstanding contributions of two alumni at the Wisconsin Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (WACTE) awards ceremony on April 28.
Each teacher licensing institution in the state, in association with the WACTE, has the opportunity to select two recipients for educator awards each spring. This year, the College of Education and Human Services is recognizing two exceptional teachers who motivate students to reach their maximum potential.
Early Career
The Early Career Educator Award is presented to an outstanding educator within the first three years of their professional career. The recipient is selected based on a combination of the following: positive impact on schools or communities, innovation in designing learning experiences and advocacy for students.
Cody Stingley ’16, has written curriculum that helps students achieve at a high level. Stingley graduated with a bachelor’s in secondary education and currently teaches algebra, geometry, advanced placement (AP) calculus and AP computer science at DeForest High School.
UW Oshkosh professor Stephanie Bernander recommended Stingley for the award, because he has become an invaluable member of his school community while positively impacting student performance.
“Cody has expanded curriculum offerings in his district by being agile in his teaching and versatile in skills. He is always thinking about the best solutions for his students and the school district and has gone the extra mile for their benefit,” Bernander said.
Stingley’s achievements include:
- Increased enrollment in the AP computer science course from underrepresented populations (girls, non-Asian and non-white boys) to 23 percent of the class population with 90 percent of these students passing the AP test.
- Worked on a committee to realign homeroom curriculum to be teacher friendly and impactful for students. The program features a tracking mechanism to ensure all students receive the same experience regardless of the adviser.
- Working to add on a computer science licensure to his teaching credentials to allow proper recognition of computer science curriculum on student transcripts.
- Planning to provide computer science A for the first time at DeForest High School.
Stingley’s future teaching goals include continued growth in the number of students enrolling in math and computer science courses and for student mastery of the content allowing them to achieve at a high level.
Pre-Service Educator Mentor
The Pre-Service Educator Mentor Award is presented to an outstanding educator who has demonstrated a sustained pattern of mentoring pre-service educators for at least five years. Attributes such as the ability to model professional responsibility, demonstrate evidentiary assessment and effective classroom management and the ability to nurture teacher candidates while developing their capacity to be leaders are considered.
For the past six years, Ryan King has served as a sixth-grade math educator at Webster Stanley Middle School in Oshkosh. King earned a bachelor’s in education from UW Oshkosh in 2013 and went on to complete his masters in 2017 in educational leadership, earning an administrative license while also serving in a variety of leadership roles in his school community.
King has enhanced the school’s positive behavior system by identifying needs through data collection and designing approaches to improve high need areas. King worked with students to self-identify triggers to better manage conflict with classmates.
Principal Phillip Marshall said that King’s approach to teaching builds confidence even in the most reluctant students. “I depend on Ryan for his natural ability to relate to students and counsel them through difficult situations. He has been an asset to our school and for students getting their start in this field,” Marshall said.
Inside the classroom, King is known as a phenomenal teacher, designing lessons around Core Curriculum and faithfully using board-approved math resources to teach his students. The result has been an inquiry-based learning environment that provides all students with a voice in their education. He is passionate about technology and seeks out ways to engage students in coding and STEM-related opportunities. He also actively co-teaches with the special education staff and believes that all students have the right to access the general education curriculum.
Bernander said King’s excellent pedagogical techniques provide a warm environment that build outstanding relationships with his students, provide support for teaching candidates that serve within his classroom and push both groups to high achievement levels.
“UW Oshkosh is fortunate to have a cooperative teacher as skilled as Ryan King. Our students learn from a teacher who has mutual respect for all learners and sees the benefits of becoming an active participant not just in the classroom but also the entire learning community,” Benander said.
WACTE is a professional organization comprised of Wisconsin institutions that prepare students for initial teacher licensure. WACTE is committed to the education of career teachers whose work in classrooms in Wisconsin, the nation and the world will result in robust student learning. To that end, the organization facilitates deep consideration of issues related to teacher effectiveness and student learning and collaborates with organizations and agencies to promote research-based standards and policies for professional educator development.
LEARN MORE