2013 Milken National Educator Award Recipient

Mark Miazga’s English classroom has been described as a place where “students come to understand what being smart and thinking for oneself is about.” Miazga, in his 13th year of teaching at Baltimore City College, a college prep high school made up largely of minority students, goes above and beyond to cultivate meaningful relationships with his kids. Lessons challenge students to think beneath the surface meaning in texts and conduct high-level discussions. He gives specific feedback on students’ writing, with room to revise.

A believer in the power of independent reading, Miazga created a free-books library in his classroom that he replenishes by frequenting a local charity. To make sure students benefit from their reading, he devises a quiz for each book. A National Board Certified Teacher, Miazga takes a special interest in kids who have low skills or are underperforming and, as varsity baseball coach, he also works to help all players succeed academically. In addition to his other roles, including English I chair and Outward Bound coordinator, Miazga’s Drama I freshmen staged a successful production of “Death of a Salesman”; he even prepared them to rehearse on their own when he was away coaching baseball games. Last year Miazga and his English I class were featured in the documentary “Experiencing Shakespeare,” produced by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.