On a quiet and wet Saturday in late July, I received my certificate awarding me the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, for 2023. This award was established by an act of Congress under the Reagan Administration in 1983 and for 40 years provided the highest honors a math or science teacher could receive.
The items I should have received directly from the President while in Washington DC were delivered by UPS onto my rain-soaked porch. The celebratory trip to Washington with my fellow awardees across the nation is never going to happen. The certificate that was supposed to be signed by the President is signed by the woman who served as director of The Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2022 to 2025. During those 3 years, no announcements for the award were made until the week before the inauguration of President Trump.
This isn't about the fault or failure of one single administration: This is about our entire nation's interest and value in science education. Education and literacy is what historically has led to freedom and liberation, discovery and innovation. Instead, we demonize teachers and schools instead of funneling our time, energy and resources to support a perpetually underfunded system.
The House and Senate continue to mark up and debate the budget requests. This is far greater than the Department of Education. From NASA to the National Science Foundation to the NIH funding related to educating our youth and supporting our teacher has been eliminated. This isn’t about me or an award, this is about the future of our nation.
