Rozy Patel is an elementary school teacher based in the Chicago area.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Chicago-area teacher Rozy Patel has been recognized with a Golden Apple Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching for 2014.
Patel is a teacher at Edgebrook Elementary School in Chicago, and was teaching her class on Wednesday when she was informed of having received the award, reports DNAinfo Chicago. Patel, along with nine other Chicago-area instructors, were announced as recipients of the award.
The Golden Apple Foundation is an Illinois-based non-profit organization dedicated to “inspire, develop and support teacher excellence in Illinois, especially in schools of need.” Every year since 1986, the Foundation has awarded 10 teachers with their Excellence in Teaching Award, which comes with a $3,000 cash prize, along with the ability to take the spring quarter off to attend classes at Northwestern University.
Additionally, awardees, who become fellows of Golden Apple Foundation, “participate as instructors in ongoing professional development programs provided by Golden Apple, as well as provide instruction and mentoring of future teachers through the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program, which has prepared more than 1,500 college students to teach in schools of need in Illinois.”
Patel teaches science, writing, art, and sex education to 7th and 8th graders at Edgebrook Elementary School. According to the Golden Apple Foundation, Patel spent four years in medical school before deciding to drop out, realizing that it wasn’t the field for her. As a teacher, she “models, shares, and guides her students to probe deeply into their scientific inquiry, always encouraging higher order thinking.”
“Research shows a high-performing teacher can boost lifetime earnings of a classroom of 20 students by more than $400,000,” said Golden Apple Foundation, in a statement. “That’s a $2 million aggregate lifetime earnings increase from just five years of dedicated and quality teaching.”
Patel, along with her fellow recipients, will be given their awards during a televised ceremony in Chicago on October 24.