Jeremy King has been named the recipient of the 2024 eMINTS Innovative Educator Award, announced on April 10 by Baldwin County Public Schools (BCPS).

The accolade, presented by the eMINTS National Center, highlights King's dedication to fostering innovation and excellence in education.

The eMINTS Innovative Educator Award, named in honor of eMINTS founding member Jennifer Kuehnle, celebrates educators who demonstrate exceptional qualities and serve as resilient changemakers in the field of education. As this year's recipient, King, who is the education technology support services coordinator for BCPS, stands as a beacon of excellence and dedication in the pursuit of educational innovation.

"I was very honored to receive the award. It's very humbling because I feel like my team members are the real heroes," King told Gulf Coast Media. He once worked for Gulf Coast Media's The Onlooker and previously for The Independent (which is no longer in publication). "At any one given time there are about 12 trainers working with teachers. I'm included in that number, but it's really a team effort."

He emphasized the collaborative nature of the program, highlighting the collective effort of his team in driving educational advancement. King shed light on the eMINTS program's focus on enhancing teaching practices, stressing the importance of thoughtful lesson design and delivery.

"The program itself is a professional development program that is targeted at teachers to help them improve their craft," King said, "I think that's the one major misunderstanding about education today. It's not just pulling out the teacher's edition and going on to the next lesson in the book. It really is lesson design and delivery. Really great teachers spend a lot more time planning and crafting than time you see them in the classroom. The eMINTS program helps teachers with strategies and lesson planning practice to help them create the best classroom environment and lessons they can."

Detailing the program's structure, King outlined the two-year journey undertaken by participating teachers, who dedicate themselves to honing their skills through comprehensive training sessions provided by the eMINTS National Center operating out of the University of Missouri.

Reflecting on the impact of the program, King noted its role in shaping teachers' approaches to lessons and classroom dynamics.

"Many teachers of the year and National Board-Certified Teachers are also eMINTS certified teachers," King said. "In fact, this year both Baldwin County Secondary and Elementary teachers of the year were eMINTS certified. The program really makes a difference in how teachers approach their lessons and how they structure their classrooms to be more student centered."

However, eMINTS is only one program of the Education Technology Division. A staunch advocate for professional development, King also spearheads another project, one which he and his team and associates are very proud of- GRITC.

"GRITC, which stands for Gulf Regional Innovate Teaching Conference, is our summer conference we host every July," King said. "We've been doing it since about 2008, and it's a chance for our teachers to learn from one another and from outside presenters. It's something we are very proud of. Before (COVID-19), we had attendance of over 500 on several days. After (the pandemic), it hasn't been as big, but it still draws about 250-300 each day. It's hosted at Fairhope Middle so it's something our teachers don't have to drive far to participate in."