Petal Teacher Receives Milken Award

When Petal, seniors receive an extra ticket for their graduation ceremony, many of them know exactly who they will invite: their fifth grade teacher, Tyler Shows

It is an honor reserved for only a few teachers, and Shows is one of them His commitment to his students, creativity in the classroom and leadership throughout the community were celebrated in October when Shows was surprised at Petal Upper Elementary School with a $25,000 Milken Educator Award presented by the Milken Family Foundation

Hailed as the “Oscars of Teaching,” Milken Educator Awards inspire and uplift with the unique stories of educators making a profound difference for students, colleagues and communities� First presented by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987, the awards provide public recognition and individual financial rewards of $25,000 to elementary and secondary school teachers, principals and specialists from around the country who are furthering excellence in edu- cation Recipients are heralded in early to mid-career for what they have achieved and for the promise of what they will accomplish

Shows received the award at a schoolwide assembly of cheering students, appreciative colleagues, local dignitaries and media

A 2008 Petal High School graduate, Shows instills a love for math in his students, connecting their learning to the real world Shows focuses on concepts underlying each lesson, building student confidence and inspiring

them to rise to high expectations�

He keeps students engaged through hands-on learning, such as writing on their desks with dry-erase markers and games like Trashketball, Stinky Feed and Draw Down

Shows gauges his students’ strengths and weaknesses, helping them transition from fourth grade and using assessment data to guide their next steps to success�

His students have shown growth, achieving 116% of projected growth on the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments from fall 2021 to spring 2022 and rating among Mississippi’s top MAP scores

Shows, who returned to the district in 2014, helped Petal Upper grow from a D into an A-rated district and maintain that rating through the devastation caused by a tornado in 2017 and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

“Petal Upper Elementary School educators have experienced so many challenges recently, from a tornado in 2017 to the pandemic Thanks to Tyler and so many other incredible teachers, they have found ways to rise above and maintain an excellent learning community for their students,” said Dr Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Educator Awards and a 1994 Indiana Milken Educator “Tyler is building a positive legacy of education here in his hometown school district, and for that, we honor him today�”

Shows serves as a grade-level chair and leads a professional learning community of math teachers who develop standards-aligned lessons, create assessments and track data He also organizes professional development, leads instructional rounds and facilitates feedback along with mentoring new and pre-service teachers

The National Board Certified Exceptional Needs Specialist helps grow the next generation of educators by hosting the district’s Teacher Academy students and serving as a pro- fessional

When schools had to go virtual during the pandemic, Shows led Pet-

Above: Shows shares his joy with PUES students as he goes to accept his Milken Educator Award. (Photo courtesy of Milken Family Foundation) Right: Dr. Kim Benton, former Mississippi interim state superintendent of education, congratulates Shows on being named a Milken Educator Award recipient during a surprise ceremony at PUES. Often referred to as the “Oscars of Teaching,” the Milken Educator Awards have rewarded and inspired excellence in the world of education by honoring top educators around the country with $25,000 to be used however they wish. (Photo courtesy of Milken Family Foundation) al Upper’s Panthers Online program that offered video tutorials and virtual learning opportunities�

“I applaud Mr� Shows for having an intentional focus of daily bringing real-world experiences into the classroom to instill a love of learning and build confidence,” said Dr� Kim Benton, Mississippi’s former interim state superintendent of education “Not only does he inspire students, but he also pays it forward by working with his high school’s Teacher Academy and by mentoring colleagues through the National Board Certification process ”