The 50 finalists of what is considered to be the Nobel of education, the Global Teacher Prize, have been revealed. This is a project sponsored by the Galp Foundation, which grants a 1-million-dollar prize to the teacher chosen by a multidisciplinary international jury. This year, there is a Portuguese teacher among those chosen for the international competition.
This is the time to give a voice to teachers. With the global pandemic, we are living in unique times, in which education systems are abruptly adapting to the new distance teaching paradigm. These changes have reminded us of the crucial importance that schools, teachers and the education community in general have in our families and society.
Among these 50, there is a Portuguese teacher, Maria Cristina Simões, Special Education teacher, public primary school in Tondela, who had previously managed to secure a place among the finalists in the national edition of the award in 2018.
Maria Cristina stands out through the use of innovative education practices, especially focused on eight areas with an impact on the quality of life: personal development, self-determination, interpersonal relations, social inclusion, rights, emotional well-being, physical well-being and material well-being.
The full list of the finalists is already available on the official website of the award. To learn more about the Portuguese teacher, just click on “Cristina Simoes -Tondela and Tonda Basic School, Viseu, Portugal (here: https://www.globalteacherprize.org/person?id=13781 )
The Global Teacher Prize (GTP) is an initiative with a presence in over 120 countries, aiming to celebrate and acknowledge the role of teachers all over the World. The distinction is centred on promoting the best teaching methodologies, as well as innovative projects developed by teachers, that boost the students’ learning ability and performance.
The Global Teacher Prize Portugal is the national edition of this global award - and has a prize of 30,000€, which acknowledges the great importance of teachers in the personal and professional development of the students in our country, as well as the communities they are part of.
The prize is aimed at all teachers currently working as such, from nursery school to the 12th grade (regular or others).