East Gainesville native Cynthia Tennell is one of six finalists in Florida for the National Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
The awards were established in 1983 and is recognized as the highest honor given by the federal government for K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teaching.
“I am honored to represent my district, my church (Open Door Ministries), God and Rawlings Elementary School,” Tennell said. “My work speaks for me. I represent the teachers in the four walls who nobody really knows about.”
Tennell’s propensity in mathematics began when she was a student at Lincoln Middle School and had to stay after school to learn how to solve word problems in math.
“I stayed every day until I got my grades up,” Tennell said. “I learned how to break it down and created a strategy.”
Her former students reach out to her and say how they are still using the strategies she gave them to solve math problems, Tennell said.
“I show them that they can do it and allow them to work around their mental block,” Tennell said. “They learn how to approach the problem.”