Christine Bayard's out-of-the-box thinking is "out of this world" at Johnston-Hopkins Elementary
BIO, PHOTOS AND VIDEO:
https://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/educators/view/christine-bayard
(NEW IBERIA, LA) - Johnston-Hopkins Elementary School sixth grade math teacher Christine Bayard (pronounced “Bye-yard”) often transforms her classroom into extraordinary, real-world environments – including outer space, a race car factory, and a construction site, to name a few. However, students, colleagues and dignitaries today witnessed a transformation of astronomical proportions when their school assembly culminated in a celebration for Bayard! Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken, joined by State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley, presented Bayard with the national Award and its $25,000 unrestricted cash prize.
“Christine Bayard is an innovative, instructional leader who infuses the joy and adventure of learning in everything she does,” said Lowell Milken. “Her exemplary dedication to educational excellence serves as an inspiration to students and fellow colleagues. We thank Christine for selecting teaching for her career and look forward to the contributions she will bring to the national Milken Educator Network.”
In addition to today’s fanfare, the Iberia Parish School District teacher joins the prestigious Milken Educator Network, a national group of exceptional professionals working to “Celebrate, Elevate, and Activate” the K-12 profession.
“Ms. Bayard’s classroom is an innovative space where math transcends textbooks and students engage in real world lessons,” said Dr. Brumley. “Her commitment to a student-centered approach is seen through academic outcomes and the difference she has made throughout her school.”
Hailed as the “Oscars of Teaching,” the Awards will honor up to 75 recipients across the country in 2023-24 as part of the Milken Family Foundation’s Journey to the 3,000th Milken Educator. 2023-24 will reach $75 million in individual financial prizes spanning the length of the initiative and more than $144 million invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall.
Bayard was completely unaware of her candidacy for the Award. Recipients are sought out while early to mid-career for what they have achieved – and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the Award.
More About Christine Bayard
An “Astronomical” Approach to Teaching: Sixth grade students in Christine Bayard’s classroom at Johnston-Hopkins Elementary School (JHOP) explore math concepts far beyond the pages of their textbooks. Collaboration is encouraged as students work through Bayard’s engaging units, seeing how math plays a pivotal role in daily life. Donning a full space suit for class, Bayard transforms lessons on decimals and rate reasoning into experiences that are truly “out of this world.” Students calculate how much food, water and oxygen is needed to live on Mars for two years, how long a Mars text message would take to send to Earth, and how many days it would take to ride a horse to the moon. Bayard’s classroom also becomes a construction site, where students use cubes to build habitats after calculating the cost, revenue and profit or loss for their projects. Then, stepping foot into the racing world, students explore fractions by virtually building racecars, working through weight’s effect on speed and velocity. Games are no stranger to Bayard’s classroom – students are eager to review what they have learned by competing in “mathketball” teams. Bayard’s students show consistent value-added achievement growth thanks in large part to her “astronomical” instructional and professional leadership.
A Leader and Mentor at JHOP and Beyond: Bayard serves on JHOP’s instructional leadership team (ILT) as a mentor teacher, where she supports schoolwide instructional and curriculum strategy through a partnership with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). Working alongside the 3-6th grade math and science master teacher, Bayard helps lead collaborative professional development meetings, teacher observations and coaching efforts – where her data-driven mindset is essential to facilitating evaluations and providing meaningful feedback. Beyond JHOP, Bayard has contributed her skillset at both state and national levels, serving as a certified Louisiana mentor teacher and presenting at the 2023 national NIET conference with her master teacher on effective coaching strategies.
More about the Milken Educator Award Journey: “The Future Belongs to the Educated”
- The honorees attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles this June, where they will network with their new colleagues as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to broaden their impact on K-12 education.
- Honorees receive powerful mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy. Milken Friends Forever (MFF) pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around a specific topic area; and Activating Milken Educators (AME) promotes group collaboration in and across states to tackle pressing educational needs.
- Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels.
- The $25,000 cash Award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. Some recipients have spent the funds on their children’s or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships, and even adopting children.