Graduate Andrea Brock Receives State and District Teaching Awards

Teacher and USAO graduate Andrea (Wood) Brock may be spending part of her summer expanding her trophy case after being named the OK-AR MAA Oklahoma Middle School Teacher of the Year and the Moore School District 2012 Teacher of the Year.

Brock received the Mathematical Association of America Oklahoma Middle School Teacher of the Year Award at the annual banquet of the OK-AR MAA March 30. She is a seventh grade mathematics teacher at Moore West Junior High and a 2004 graduate of USAO. Brock recently completed her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Arlington.

 “It takes a unique talent to teach in a junior high,” said Michaele Benn, Brock’s principal, in her recommendation. “If a student is lucky enough to be in one of Mrs. Brock’s classes, I can guarantee they will go home and talk about what they have learned on a daily basis.  If a teacher is lucky enough to have Mrs. Brock as a colleague, they quickly learn that she shares her lessons and they are energized by her presence.  If a parent is lucky enough to have a child in Mrs. Brock’s class, they will receive frequent communications from her describing learning and praising successes.  If a principal is lucky enough to have Mrs. Brock as part of her or his faculty, she or he will always see a teacher on her feet, prepared to the max and getting kids excited about math.”

"Andrea is never satisfied with doing average, but always goes the extra mile. She has a superior value system and high moral values. That type of character has enabled Andrea to earn numerous recognitions and responsibilities early in her career," said Dr. Nancy Warden, professor of mathematics at USAO in her nomination of Brock for the USAO Young Alumni Award in 2011.

In addition to the OK-AR MAA award, Brock also was named the Teacher of the Year at Moore.

“I am lucky I have a job that I go to everyday that I love and enjoy. It is an honor to represent the teachers in our district,” Brock said when she accepted the award. Brock will now compete for the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year later this year. Brian Grimm, a 1996 USAO graduate, won the state award in 2009.

To see Brock’s nomination video, go to http://link.usao.edu/andrea_brock1. For a video of the Teacher of Year Award Ceremony, go to http://link.usao.edu/andrea_brock2.

Brock graduated from USAO with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. She received the Outstanding Graduate Award from the Division of Teacher Education and Speech Language Pathology as well as the Distinguished Graduate Award from the USAO Alumni Association.

Brock has taught sixth grade mathematics at Choctaw Elementary School and Kingsgate Elementary in Moore. She has served as her school's Grade Level Chair, Math Site Improvement Committee Chair and on numerous district educational committees. She has served as professional development coordinator and presented staff development workshops for other teachers.

Brock received the USAO Young Alumni Award in 2009. She was named Teacher of the Year at Kingsgate for 2008-09, was a semi-finalist for Moore Public Schools District Teacher of the Year, was a 2009 Oklahoma Outstanding Teacher in Mathematics Award nominee and winner of the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Teacher of the Year Award.

Brock is active in numerous professional organizations and was chosen to present at the Oklahoma Council of Teachers of Mathematics Summer Conference in 2009. She served on a panel at the State Conference of the Oklahoma Student Education Association where she made it a point to sit with and encourage USAO students that attended the conference.