Dr. Lammia Agoora, a teacher at Rogers Park Middle School in Danbury, is one of only 46 teachers from around the country to be selected as a recipient of the California Casualty Award for Teaching Excellence.
Awardees are nominated for their dedication to the profession, community engagement, professional development, attention to diversity, and advocacy for fellow educators. The NEA Foundation will recognize the awardees, who represent diverse school communities from small towns to urban centers, in February.
Agoora was also selected as the 2020 recipient of CEA’s John McCormack Award for Teaching Excellence. Named in honor of the late John McCormack—a tireless advocate for teachers’ rights and excellence in public education—this award recognizes a CEA member who has dedicated his or her life to supporting students, made outstanding contributions to the improvement of the teaching profession, and promoted excellence in public education. Agoora, who has spent her entire 30-plus year teaching career in Danbury, embodies these characteristics.
Agoora goes to extraordinary lengths to support her students and her colleagues. She developed an innovative math program based on the use of manipulatives to help English learners master foundational math concepts that is now used in several elementary schools in Danbury. She is dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of her students, running the “After School Success Program,” at her school.
Her Danbury colleagues and the teaching profession are always priorities for Agoora. She is active in every aspect of her local association. She has served on her association’s Ethnic Minority Affairs Commission, Political Action Committee, negotiations committee, as a building representative, and as a Fairfield County Director for CEA. She supports her colleagues, serving as a mentor to eleven individuals last year alone, acts as a coach to struggling teachers, and serves on numerous school and district leadership teams.
“In a time when awareness of educators’ vital role to our society is growing, we honor exceptional educators who serve students and communities in extraordinary ways,” says Sara A. Sneed, president and CEO of the NEA Foundation. “Each California Casualty awardee exemplifies the best in public education, demonstrates innovative approaches to student learning, and supports their peers. We are grateful to California Casualty for its recognition and support, and we look forward to honoring the 2021 California Casualty Awards for Teaching Excellence awardees.”
“It’s an honor to recognize these exceptional educators and education support professionals who nurture, inspire, and make a difference in the lives of others,” says Joe Volponi, president and CEO, California Casualty. “The California Casualty awardees show us all that with passion, innovation, and dedication, you can achieve great things.”
The NEA Foundation and the National Education Association jointly present the awards. Check out more information about the awards and a gallery of this year’s awardees.
