June Teisan receiving the 2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in Washington, DC from Arden L. Bement Jr., director of the National Science Foundation (left), and John H. Marburger III, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President (right). Photo by Daniel J. Splaine/NSF

For 19 years and counting, June Teisan has taught the same subject in the same classroom at Harper Woods Secondary School, but that doesn’t mean she’s not going places.

Teisan, a seventh grade general science teacher and second-year doctoral student at Oakland University, recently added two distinctive honors to her resume: The 2006 Jacqueline Lougheed Scholarship from OU and a 2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), the nation’s highest honor for teaching in these fields.

Only 100 PAEMST awards are presented nationwide each year. The honor includes a $10,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for a week of celebratory events and professional development activities. She also received a citation signed by President George W. Bush.

Both the PAEMST award and OU’s Jacqueline Lougheed Scholarship recognize Teisan’s strengths and aspirations for educational leadership at the building, district, state and national levels.

“There are so many needs for educational leaders at all levels,” said Teisan. “To move forward with education we need to address the societal problems that can’t help but make their way into the classroom.”

Teisan’s words echo the reasons Professor Emerita Jacqueline Lougheed endowed the scholarship two years ago. The Lougheed Scholarship aims to encourage OU’s education students on the leadership track, preparing them to face the challenges Teisan describes.

“Educators need to be able to inform policymakers, to shape the conversation of education. Legislators have to be all things to all people — they are not education experts. Through the doctoral program in educational leadership we learn how to make our voices heard and to craft important messages so they are understandable to non-educators,” said Teisan.

Students in OU’s Ph.D. in Education, the Education Specialist in School Administration and the Master's of Education in Educational Leadership programs are invited to apply for the Lougheed Scholarship, which provides $1,000 each year for a student to use for tuition, books, research or attending a professional conference.

Teisan, chosen in 2004 as Wayne County Teacher of the Year, said her Lougheed Scholarship award will go directly toward paying her tuition at Oakland University.

Teisan, who holds a bachelor’s in biological sciences from Wayne State and a Master of Arts in Teaching, received National Board Certification in Early Adolescent Science in 2002 and earned her Education Specialist degree from OU in 2004. She is currently working toward her Ph.D. in Education by writing a dissertation on the effectiveness of science and multimedia technology in home school settings.

“More than a million students are home schooled in the United States, and that number is growing by a percentage in the double-digits. My interest is in finding out how to bring home schooling up to speed with public school education, possibly by forging partnerships between public schools and home school families to provide greater access to science and multimedia resources,” said Teisan.

In May, Teisan was honored at the inaugural Closing the Gap in Technology Awards for excellence in utilizing technology to inspire student achievement. The awards were sponsored by Daimler-Chrysler and hosted at the new Detroit Science Center.

Teisan notes that while she is grateful for the recognition she has received this year and throughout her career, she is excited about continuing her education to be the best educational leader she can be.

“It’s all about the kids for me. In September they come in and are unsure about science, but by the end of the year they are interested and engaged,” said Teisan. “Pursuing my own education keeps me growing as a person, and that’s a key part of the success of my own teaching.”

For more information on Oakland University's education programs, visit the School of Education and Human Services Web site or call (248) 370-3050.