Michael Arsenault - A Milken Educator
April 30, 2008 | 
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Michael Arsenault, math teacher at Pine Creek High School, was awarded the prestigious Milken Educator Award in late 2007. The Milken Family Foundation awards this award to outstanding K-12 teachers who demonstrate
- exceptional educational talent as evidenced by outstanding instructional practices in the classroom, school, and profession
- outstanding accomplishment and strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership
- engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues, and the community
The mission of the Milken Family Foundation, founded in 1982, is to discover and advance inventive and effective ways of helping people to help themselves and those around them lead productive and satisfying lives.
The following is an interview with Michael Arsenault that took place via e-mail.
CSR+: You worked as a software engineer before becoming a teacher. What brought you to teaching?
MA: I’ve always wanted to teach. Life just seemed to steer me down different paths - one of which was software engineering. I realized that my job didn’t give me the satisfaction I thought it would and wanted to do something more fulfilling. My family and I sat down and worked out the “pros and cons”. It was evident that all of the elements I enjoyed in software engineering were elements of being an educator. The choice was clear, so I took the leap!
CSR+: The Milken Educator Award brings you national recognition as an outstanding teacher. How does it feel to be the recipient of such an award?
MA: It is humbling. There are so many amazing educators that I work with day in and day out, folks who could easily have received the MEA. I also feel inspired to “step it up”. As a part of the MEA network, there are a lot of resources at my disposal. I want to use them to represent the organization, my school, and my students to the best of my ability.
CSR+: Students have described you as “awesome”, “passionate”, and “dedicated”. What makes you an outstanding teacher? What are qualities you possess as a teacher that make you stand out among students, peers and administrators?
MA: First and foremost I care about my students. I know that their success not only depends on the content they are learning, but also character education and life skills. I also feel my past experiences help me to bring real-world examples into the classroom. Those experiences reflect the passion I have for mathematics — a passion that I hope will be contagious. Finally, I love what I do!
CSR+: What is your philosophy of teaching?
MA: I think the information above really sums it up, but I’ll expand. Math can be daunting, as the number of students (and parents) with math anxiety demonstrates. I strive to foster a safe environment, an environment of respect, where ALL students can be successful. I believe the questions students ask are as important as the answers and therefore want my students to be inquisitive.
CSR+: How do you integrate your philosophy of teaching into the practice of teaching?
MA: It all comes down to respect in both directions. The respect I show for my students shows them that I care. I expect them to show the other students in the class and me the same level of respect. In an environment of respect it becomes easier to have a discussion that creates the questions necessary to achieve understanding.
CSR+: You teach mathematics. It is a difficult subject for most students. How do you motivate your students to like and be enthused by mathematics? What are some instructional practices you have found to be effective?
MA: I think that successful mathematics education comes from tying things together. I like to incorporate historical stories, modern-day applications, and how students may use it in the future. Sometimes I use lecture, sometimes investigations, and every once in a while I’ll pull out the guitar and sing a song or two. I think that my questioning strategies help students reach greater understanding. I like to let them reach the conclusion rather than giving it to them.
CSR+: You also spend a lot of time outside the classroom working with students in various activities. A student was quoted in the Colorado Springs Gazette as saying “He might live here. I am not sure.” (‘here’ means the school). Can you please tell us about some of the activities that you participate in? What makes you spend so much time with the students?
MA: I have been a Student Council sponsor for the past four years. I love the opportunity to get to know students on a different level. It helps to form the relationships that I think are so important to their success.
CSR+: What makes you popular among the students?
MA: Popular? I’m sure there are times that I’m not so popular (tests after break, etc.)! I would speculate that it is the fact that I care about them and enjoy my job so much. I think you’d need to talk to my students to answer this one….
CSR+: There is shortage of students, entering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields at the college level across the US. All of these fields require a strong foundation in mathematics. Our K-12 schools need to improve how they prepare students in mathematics and related fields. What do you think that can be done better?
MA: I think our focus is currently too broad. We strive to hit every element of the state standards each year to prepare students for standardized testing. I wonder if by focusing on a smaller set of distinct benchmarks within a given year if we couldn’t help students master those skills. With solid communication between courses, we could focus on the different subsets of standards from year to year to ensure a comprehensive mathematics education before graduation.
CSR+: What regional, state or national policies must be put in place so that STEM fields are able to attract more students at all levels?
MA: The first thing we need to do is pass a law forbidding all parents to tell their students how bad they are at math! All joking aside, I don’t know how much policies will make an impact on the ability of STEM fields to attract more students. I think we have made strides in the right direction by attempting to ensure that educators possess solid content knowledge. I am also hopefully optimistic on the focus on 21st Century Skills in the classroom. When students focus on problem solving, technology, creativity, and global literacy they may be inspired to pursue careers in the STEM fields.
CSR+: There is a shortage of qualified teachers in mathematics and technical areas in many areas of the country. What do you think are some ways to ameliorate the situation?
MA: Short term, the issue will be pay. We need to reevaluate pay scales to find a competitive way to compensate quality educators. We need to provide professional development opportunities to keep improving the skills of these educators and foster an environment of collaboration between them. Long term we will fill these jobs by increasing the number of STEM students in the system. Increased competition will foster higher quality educators, and on and on.
CSR+: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.
MA: Thank you as well.
- J
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