Gleason Selected for Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program, Sigma Xi Teaching Award

Science teacher Chris Gleason has had lots of exciting reasons to celebrate recently.

First, in February she was selected as a participant in the 2011 Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for Education of Sustainable Development (ESD). She will attend a joint conference in San Francisco May 1-4 and the program in Japan June 21-July 5, including a joint conference in Tokyo.

Funded by both the Japanese and U.S. governments, the teacher exchange program was organized by Fulbright Japan(the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission) to raise awares of ESD-oriented school programs and deepen a sense of global interconnectedness and cooperation between teachers in Japan and the U.S.

Then, in March, Gleason was selected as the recipient of the U-M Chapter of Sigma Xi‘s 2011 Science/Math Teacher of the Year Award for Washtenaw County. The award recognizes exceptional teachers who “excite, intrigue and inspire the imagination and potential of his/her students,” as well as for involvement in related community service.

Gleason was honored at Sigma Xi’s annual banquet on Wednesday, where she received an award certificate and check for $500.