CLASS OF 2020
Nominated in November 2020; Inducted in February 2021
Matthew Benet
Fairfield, CT
Matthew is a private tutor in Connecticut who also teaches in CTY Online Programs. Matthew identified one key to his success as “never assuming they think about problems the same way I do. Instead, I let the student describe their natural approach to the problem, help them complete it their way, and show connections to other approaches.”
Lubna Ghazi
Jessup, MD
Lubna is an instructor with CTY Online Programs who says that her ultimate goal is to push her students to channel their inward sense of discovery to an outward sense of purpose. Her hope is that they will discover their passion and work towards transformative growth.
Gregory Schneider Grosvenor
Somerville, MA
Greg is an adjunct instructor at Bunker Hill Community College as well as CTY Online Programs. He heeds the words of Gustave Flaubert and believes that writers should: “Show us a wonder in each line.” He wants his students to enjoy seeing their voices flourish and to find “wonder” in their own sentences.
Mary-Catherine Irving
Baltimore, MD
MaryCatherine is a teacher at McDonogh School. She loves to see her student’s faces light up when they discover a new interest or grasp a new concept. She believes it is not her job to challenge her bright students, but rather to motivate them to challenge themselves.
Timothy Lyle
New York, NY
Timothy teaches at Iona College and with CTY Online Programs. Timothy believes in a playful approach to learning that frees students to adopt a child-like curiosity and the joyful spirit of discovery. They said, “By reminding them of the importance of play, I try to change their relationship to education, liberate their imaginations, and promote life-long learning.”
Melanie Pflaum
New York, NY
Melanie teaches at Fiorello LaGuardia High School and is an instructor with CTY Online Programs. She likes to use open-ended questions that motivate students. Her strategy is to pose engaging problems with multiple solutions and to scaffold them so that every student can be successful and also challenged.
Beau Roberts
Vero Beach, FL
Beau teaches at John Carroll High School and is a CTY Online instructor. He believes in an inquiry-based approach and going beyond the textbook. His classroom has six aquariums, each with their own endemic habitat. He has also taken students throughout the world with a science point-of-view. They have been to the Costa Rican jungles, Northern California tide pools and redwood forests, the forests of Seattle and British Columbia, among other destinations.
Joshua Roig
Culver City, CA
Joshua came to teaching after 15 years in the clothing and television industries. He took his first teaching position as a way to pay the bills, but learned quickly that it was a profession that had the potential to be incredibly rewarding. That was twenty-five years ago and he says that today, he is more enthusiastic about his practice than ever before. Joshua sees his role as more of a facilitator and model. He says, “If I’m ‘teaching’ anything, it is to point out that young people have the power to accomplish whatever they set their minds to.”
Rosi Rosebush
Burlington, VT
Elisandra Santos
San Bruno, CA
Rosi is a professor at the University of Vermont and an instructor with CTY Online Program’s. Her philosophy is that “Motivating students to do their best requires knowing them. Each student is unique. I listen to them and get to know what matters to them. There is no one size fits all strategy for dealing with students.”
Eli teaches at St. Robert Catholic School. She believes that in order to challenge students in a productive manner, she first has to meet them where they are at, rather than where she expects them to be. She says, “I have learned that students improve most when they feel confident and excited about the material."