Joy Wolfe

Joy Wolfe, a 4th grade teacher of gifted students in Montgomery County, Maryland exudes excellence in teaching in everything she does. Watching her interact with her students with compassion and understanding allows one to understand why she has been awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching as well as many other awards during her 14 year tenure as an educator.

Passionate about making learning meaningful, Joy has sought numerous grants and professional development experiences. Her most recent expedition involved taking 25 nine and ten year old students to Puerto Rico for a week. With the support of Discovery, NASA, the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez, parents, and several community partners, Joy created a unique science opportunity grounded in national science standards. They studied the coral reefs, the bioluminescent bay, Arecibo, the world's largest radio telescope, the contrast of the dry and rain forest caused by the rain shadow effect on the island, the karst topography, and the formation and collection of salt crystals at the salturns. Throughout the week they worked with an oceanographer, an astrophysicist, and an engineer. Their amazing trip was document with digital cameras and camcorders.

In her words, “The trip was more than any of us imagined that it would be, but the best is yet to come. We're now working as a class, with the help of Rachel Amstutz, our DEN field manager. We'll soon be creating a multimedia presentation which will combine video and digital images along with podcasts. Our final works will be shared with parents, community members, and officials at a gala premier. Look for the presentation on both the DEN and the NASA sites.”

As a DEN member, Joy has attended several trainings, been interviewed as an educational expert who understands the impact of media on student learning, and shared the wonderful learning opportunitiesshe has created. Joy is to be commended for crafting meaningful lessons and learning experiences for her students, for constantly seeking professional development experiences that expand her skills and knowledge, and for stepping forth as an educational leader demonstrating master level teaching by incorporating real life learning experiences and seamlessly infusing technology into her instruction.