Autumn Rivera is the Colorado 2022 Teacher of the Year and finalist for National Teacher of the Year.  She is a middle school science teacher and part-time adjunct educator.  She loves to create and engaging environment where students are hands on.  She empowers her students to see how they have the ability to make changes now and see those changes.

• Creating hands-on real world experiences connected to the local community.

• Supporting her students to raise money for a local area to help preserve it as a natural park.

• Creating an environment where students feel comfortable to raise questions and pose ideas of change to a teacher.

• Using the standards as a guide to our curriculum and preparing to pivot and move with student interest while still teaching all of the standards.

• The value of strong routines and procedures in a classroom and how it impacts student-centered learning.

• Allowing students to fall, be wrong, and productively struggle.

• Reflection at the end of class is essential to allowing the students conceptualize learning.

• Practicing reflective strategies as a teacher with our students.

• Creating safe, cohesive environments for students.