Math Teacher Is No. 1 in Eyes of Students

Third-grade teacher Enid Stagg insists she’s not a math whiz. She just likes to make math fun for her Willow Elementary School students.

But officials who administer the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science & Mathematics Teaching might beg to differ.

School officials said the National Science Foundation must have seen something special in the teacher they know affectionately as “Mrs. Pizza Stagg,” honoring her as one of the California’s three outstanding teachers in elementary mathematics.

Willow Principal Jane Wagmeister said Stagg, who earned her nickname after finding a way to teach math with her favorite food, has been a leader in math instruction in her school district for years.

The 15-year teacher introduced Family Math Night to Willow nearly 10 years ago and has taught her students by example that learning is a lifelong responsibility and should be a lifelong joy.

“Her students adore her,” Wagmeister said. “Their eyes light up when they see her. They want to succeed not only for themselves, but for their teacher as well.”

Stagg said that she tries to bring real-life applications to math problems instead of relying on rote methods that she found tedious as a child.

“Math always came real easy for me at school,” the Brooklyn native said. “But I remember trying to connect some sort of story or anecdote to the ‘drill-and-kill’ I was doing. I figured there had to be another way, because it was so boring.”

Before the statewide honor, the Agoura Hills resident was named the Ventura County Mathematics Assn.’s Outstanding Math Teacher in December. Then she was named the county winner, and later the Southern California regional winner, of the Presidential Award.

She and 11 others honored statewide--two others for elementary math and three each for elementary science, secondary science and secondary mathematics--are now eligible to be considered next month for national Presidential Awards in their respective categories.