{"id":213828,"date":"2023-12-19T16:26:58","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T21:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/?p=213828"},"modified":"2023-12-13T16:37:48","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T21:37:48","slug":"taylor-trost-23-ma-selected-for-prestigious-milken-educator-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/2023\/12\/19\/taylor-trost-23-ma-selected-for-prestigious-milken-educator-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor Trost \u201923 MA Selected for Prestigious Milken Educator Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Taylor Trost \u201923 MA, 2023 was full of surprises. The first \u2013 and biggest \u2013 was the arrival of twin boys. Even less expected, however, was receiving the Milken Educator Award, a prestigious national honor recognizing outstanding educators. The fourth grade teacher at Grace Norton Rogers Elementary School in Hightstown is the first-ever Milken award winner in New Jersey\u2019s East Windsor Regional School District.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Milken Educator Award acknowledges the heroes in our K-12 classrooms. Candidates are not aware that they have been nominated and are under review. Those selected are surprised with an announcement made at an all-school event. The honor comes with an unrestricted cash prize of $25,000.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of the program\u2019s secrecy, Trost didn\u2019t understand why her principal was so adamant that she attend the October school assembly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“It didn\u2019t make sense,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI was on maternity leave and wondered what could be so important, but the invitation was pretty firm. I figured I had better show up and thought it would be a nice opportunity to see my co-workers. It turned out to be the surprise of a lifetime!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Trost\u2019s accomplishments in and outside the classroom were honored that day, from her effective use of project-based learning, music, and physical activities to keep her fourth-grade inclusion class on track to her mentorship of new teachers. The assembly that cheered her on included the school\u2019s student body, faculty and administrators, as well as prior Milken awardees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI loved meeting the previous Milken recipients,\u201d she says. \u201cThey were generous with their encouragement and guidance. It is an amazing feeling to know that there are people you don\u2019t even know yet who care about your success.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It is little wonder that Trost\u2019s abilities and potential caught the attention of the Milken Family Foundation and the award committee. Since completing her undergraduate work at Rowan University, Trost has been on a fast track to leadership, stepping into the lead teacher role in her second year in the profession. When she began thinking about the next steps on her career path, she looked to her school\u2019s administrators for guidance. \u201cMy principal recommended Montclair\u2019s master\u2019s program in educational leadership,\u201d she says, \u201cand I trusted her advice. I liked that the program was fully online.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really appreciated the structure of the program,\u201d Trost continues. \u201cIt was rigorous but flexible. The cohort approach created a support system, making it a more social experience than I had expected. We still have group chats to share ideas and opportunities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The graduate level coursework prepared Trost to translate her classroom creativity \u2013 which included innovations such as a pretend campfire circle to nurture her student\u2019s storytelling abilities \u2013 into larger initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI learned so much about the educational landscape as a whole,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt was a lens that I didn\u2019t have before. We explored equity in schools, leadership schools, and what goes on behind the scenes in a school or district, from logistical aspects to legal ramifications and state mandates. I learned about the experiences of teachers in other communities and grade levels.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, when Trost sees an opportunity or wants to develop a new idea, she is better able to move forward. \u201cI have the tools to make more of an impact,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trost will be on leave for a bit longer, but she is looking forward getting back to her students and to the initiatives she was working on at the end of the 2022-23 academic year. \u201cI was updating curriculum documents and advancing new initiatives for teaching math, science and literacy,\u201d she says. \u201cMy focus was on aligning what we teach to new philosophies being embraced by the district and integrating the updated material into the classrooms. When I return, I will be helping fellow teachers develop their practice. We will be working together to reach for a new vision for the education we provide.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although her hands are quite full at the moment, Trost hopes that in the future she will be able to get more involved with Montclair alumni activities. \u201cI think it is important to give back to the programs that helped you progress,\u201d she points out. \u201cI would like to support the next generation of education professionals, perhaps through a principalship mentoring program.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In the meantime, she keeps up with Montclair news through the alumni emails she receives. \u201cI learned recently about the new Certificate in General Education Studies program for students who have intellectual disabilities,\u201d she notes. \u201cIt makes me proud to know that I graduated from a school that is actively pursuing inclusiveness in education.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Taylor Trost \u201923 MA, a 2023 Milken Educator Award recipient, is making her mark at Grace Norton Rogers Elementary School. Her ingenuity and dedication are helping to transform education in New Jersey\u2019s East Windsor Regional School District.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":326,"featured_media":213829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-213828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-76_alumni-news-and-events","category-77_alumni-spotlight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/326"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213828"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":213830,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213828\/revisions\/213830"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}