November 2021
Standing by a SMART Board, Jeffries Elementary School third-grade teacher Tabitha Eutsler watches as Evann teaches the class.
“To make 20, it helps me sometimes if I draw four circles with five dots in them,” Evann. “So then I see four circles with five dots in each, so that means four times five is 20 and five times four is 20. That’s commutative.”
Tabitha Eutsler received the Missouri Outstanding Mathematics Educator Award from the Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The annual award is given to a teacher who engages students in mathematics to the point of mastery.
“I think Tabitha has been recognized as an outstanding math educator because of her ability to engage all learners,” said Tom Masterson, Jeffries principal. “When you watch Ms. Eutsler teach, it is clear that she has built a positive classroom environment that welcomes all students and engages their learning.”
In her classroom, Eutsler engages her students with mathematics in a variety of ways. From group lessons taught by students to interactive hand signals for students to express questions and confidence in concepts presented, Eutsler is committed to helping her students learn.
“I’m part of a great team here at Jeffries,” said Eutsler. “At Jeffries, we all work together to help our students be successful, and my students are so phenomenal, their hard work is why I was recognized. I’m truly blessed.”
Eutsler will be recognized at the MCTM Fall Conference on Dec. 3-4 in Columbia, Missouri. She was also named Springfield Teacher of the Year in 2015-2016.
