Michelle Weeks, a high school math teacher at Green Bay Area Public School District (WI), has been named the Open Up Resources Teacher of the Month for April 2026. Weeks is being recognized for her outstanding work in her classroom and ongoing support of teachers across the country as a member of the Open Up Resources National Professional Learning Community.

Weeks’ work with Open Up High School Mathematics makes her one of the most innovative teachers in the country. The Open Up High School Mathematics curriculum inspires a new way of teaching math by transforming classrooms into hives of activity focusing on discussion, questioning, debate, and the deeper conceptual learning of mathematics that follows. 

Briana Vander Heiden, a colleague at Southwest High School, nominated Weeks for her compassion and dedication to her students and colleagues. Vander Heiden shared, “Michelle is an educator who makes every student feel valued, heard, and respected… Michelle is flexible, compassionate and always willing to lend a hand to a colleague. Her colleagues and students feel like family.”

In her nomination, Vander Heiden described Weeks’ planning and preparation for upcoming lessons. She explained, “From taking extra time out of her day to make sure all needs are met or staying up until the wee hours of the morning to make sure the lesson is perfect, she always goes above and beyond.”

Weeks shared about the importance of intentionality in planning to support students in making mathematical connections. She shared these tips:

• Complete the student workbook ahead of looking at the teacher edition
• Look at the teacher-facing materials and read all of them
• Study at the 5 Practices guidance in the lessons
• Prepare sample student examples for concepts and strategies, just in case; this prepares you to keep the class moving and still discuss strategies to make connections
• Embrace mistakes! Showing mistakes provides great learning and allows students to take risks

The preparation to make connections takes time, but it’s worth every minute.

Open Up Resources is a non-profit publisher in pursuit of delivering the highest quality learning experiences for all students by providing educators best in class, research-based PreK–12 curricula and professional learning so they may support every student’s academic success and create in-class experiences that celebrate, honor, and empower all students. Learn more at www.openupresources.org.