Princeton’s Mark Eastburn Reaches Quarterfinals For America’s Favorite Teacher Contest

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton School District’s very own Mark Eastburn is in the running to become America's next favorite teacher.

Eastburn is a teacher in the school district’s well-known Research Program. Over the years, he has guided his students to winning several STEM competitions.

The educator has advanced to the quarterfinals of the "America’s Favorite Teacher” contest, a national competition where teachers from across the country compete for the title, a grand prize of $25,000; a feature in Reader’s Digest; a trip to Hawaii; and a school assembly with Bill Nye.

He is currently placed 6th in the quarter-finals. Voting for semi-finalists ends Thursday, April 17, at 7 p.m. PDT.

Eastburn answered a few questions for the "America’s Favorite Teacher” contest. Here’s what he had to say:

Tell us why you became a teacher

My focus centers on the future of civilization and our relationship with the wider environment and cosmos. With inspiration from transformational figures like John Dewey and Paolo Friere, I became a teacher to empower upcoming generations with knowledge and skills to face challenges that we cannot yet even imagine. Education is the great equalizer that enables people from all backgrounds to use these incredible brains that we develop to think critically and take charge of our destiny.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

When I guided a team to the National Finals of a prestigious STEM competition that won a Grand Prize based on a project that developed through a team that I pulled together - including indigenous Mayan language speakers and a variety of tech-oriented whiz kids from a research program that I coordinate and teach, tears flooded my eyes because it was the culmination of many life experiences and inspired students from New Jersey to rural Washington State. This was why I chose to become a teacher.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I will use this money to ensure that several of my graduating students from low-income backgrounds will have the resources that they need to continue studying in college and beyond. These students trusted me on projects that helped them realize their own greatness, and from the trust that we built I need to ensure that they can reach their dreams. I would use any leftover funds to establish a nonprofit that will discover and develop other students with the same potentials and similar needs.

To vote for Eastburn, visit his page at the America's Favorite Teacher website.

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