Antioch teacher to be given Presidential Award for Excellence

ANTIOCH, Calif. (KGO) -- An East Bay school has some bragging rights. It has one of the best math teachers in the nation.

Maria McClain teaches calculus at Deer Valley High School. She's been teacher of the year before, but next week, she'll be at the White House to receive a Presidential Award for Excellence. This is her 28th year in the classroom. But she is not the kind of teacher to just sit by the board, she says interaction is key to her teaching style.

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"I have to be there with them. I have to see what they are doing. I have to talk to them. I have to hear what they are thinking. So that is there is a misconception I can correct it. Or sometimes they approach a problem totally different than what I have thought about," said Maria McClain, Math Dept. Chair.

McClain is one of 213 teachers nationwide to get the presidential award this year. It comes with a $10,000 prize.

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