This week's Golden Apple Award-winning teacher hails from Chautauqua County, New York.
A standout tennis player, he used his athletic skills to figure out what he wanted to do in life.
Jameson Sposato is from western New York and has been teaching math at Corry Middle School for just a matter of months.
He is embarking on a career that utilizes his skills and passions.
"I started teaching tennis when I was 16 and kinda fell in love with like teaching skills to kids and stuff like that. And I started thinking about my future, and I want to be a dad one day and stuff, so probably a good job to be able to do all things I wanna do, and I love math too, so that kinda helps," said Jameson Sposato, Golden Apple Award-winning teacher.
This week's Golden Apple winner is in his first year of teaching school and is already making a difference in the lives of his students, especially student nominator Ava Evans.
"He means a lot to me because he kinda got me through a lot of things I was struggling with. a few of my grades I wasn't confident in, I was kinda stuck on this podium I put myself on, and he kinda helps me get down from that," Evans said.
"It's good to have someone to look up to and just kinda be there for them. it may not be for their math problems, maybe it's just to be a person to talk to, maybe to be a person to believe in them and try to push them to achieve want they want to do." Sposato told us.
"He's been able to create a learning environment where these students feel safe, secure, where these students feel respected and appreciated and they know he committed to them and to their success," said Mary Jo Melvin, PhD, Big Ideas Learning
Sposato received $250 from Big Ideas Learning to acknowledge his excellent work in the classroom.
"He's an example of how a teacher can have an impact even in his first couple months of becoming a teacher. You don't have to be a veteran to inspire students, to make a space comfortable for them to learn. It's just really awesome for someone so new to the profession to start off inspiring students so quickly," said Damon Finazzo, Big Ideas Learning.
Congratulations Jameson Sposato, this week's JET 24 PennWest University Golden Apple Award winner!