The Golden Apple goes to Tannette Owens

This week's Golden Apple winner finds the perfect balance between being strict and being kind.

One of the first things you'll notice about Tannette Owens' classroom is that it doesn't look like a typical classroom. Where rows of desks traditionally are, couches, tables, and carpeting fill the room.

"It's a flexible seating arrangement," explained Owens. "We learn better when we're comfortable. They love it. They come in with a better attitude because they're more comfortable and being comfortable in your setting makes a difference in your mind."

Owens says simply changing the way her students feel about math can have a big impact on their success.

For the past three years, Owens has been a top-performing teacher in Florida. She says there's nothing like those special moments the information "clicks."

Each day, after about 20 minutes of serious learning, it's time for something Owens like to call "brain breaks."

"After about 20 minutes your brain just can't take it anymore," said Owens. "Especially with numbers and the procedures of how to do things. So we just put everything down, we get up and we have a brain break. What that normally means is I put on some music and we march around the room."

Although she only has her students for a short while, Owens hopes to change their attitude toward math forever.

Congratulations to Tanette Owens, an ASPIRE math teacher at Merritt Brown Middle School.

If you'd like to nominate a teacher for the Golden Apple award, click the Golden Apple tag on our website.