We were thrilled to hear the news that Nancie Atwell, author ofThe Reading Zone and contributor to Scholastic's Open a World of Possible anthology was presented with the GEMS Foundation Global Teacher Prize in Dubai this past weekend.
As explained in USA Today, the Global Teacher Prize—which has been dubbed the "Nobel Prize for Teaching"—is presented by the Varkey Foundation, whose mission is to improve the standards of education worldwide. As the recipient of the second-ever Global Teacher Prize, Atwell will receive $1 million, which she plans to use to support Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb, Maine—a school she founded in 1990.
Atwell, who began teaching in 1973, has penned nine books about writing. When asked by Larry Ferlazzo how we can help our students become better readers, Atwell responded, "My advice is to do what it takes to make reading easy, inviting, enjoyable, and meaningful. This means access to books that tell great stories, freedom of choice, time to read, and encouragement and information along the way."
We couldn't be more excited for Nancie, who embodies joyful and powerful reading.
You can download our free Open a World of Possible ebook, which features Atwell's essay, here.
