LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Robert Howard was nominated anonymously.

"In Robert's second year of teaching (2022-2023), he was assigned to teach his first college-level curriculum, AP Human Geography. Throughout the academic year, Robert has fostered arts-integrated projects to enhance student understanding by incorporating music and drawing board assignments into lessons about city infrastructure. In another lesson, Robert introduces bands like The Hu and provides background knowledge about their Mongolian culture, enticing students' interest in exploring diverse music. Conducting similar lessons, he prepped students for the AP Test and received an overwhelming passing rate with nearly a 1:2 ratio (estimated student count: 100, majority receiving 4s)," said the nominator.

"This year and based on current assessment scores through College Board, all his classes have tested at an average of 72% or higher. He also implements digital sources such as artificial intelligence (ChatGPT) to support writing and critical thinking skills by creating feedback forms that discuss the student's integral use of AI and their work," said the nominator.

"With such knowledge of AI, Robert has conducted workshops for professional development throughout the year to encourage novice users (teachers who are unfamiliar or aware of the positive outcomes of AI use in the classrooms) to incorporate AI into their routine. Whether making lesson plans or a project-based learning assignment, AI can be useful! Robert demonstrates leadership in and out of his classroom and continues to achieve academic success by performing at a professional level," said the nominator.