Ruthmae Sears facts for kids

Ruthmae Sears is an amazing math teacher and professor from the Bahamas and America. She works to make sure all students can understand math, especially by fixing problems that make it harder for some kids to learn. She is a professor at the University of South Florida where she teaches others how to be great math teachers for high school students.

Ruthmae Sears's Journey in Education

Ruthmae Sears grew up in the Bahamas. She loved learning about math and teaching. She went to the College of the Bahamas where she earned two degrees: one in arts and another in education, focusing on math.

She continued her studies in the United States. She earned a master's degree in math education from Indiana University Bloomington. Then, she got her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. A Ph.D. is the highest degree you can get in a field of study!

Teaching and Professorship

Before becoming a university professor, Dr. Sears taught high school math in the Bahamas. She joined the University of South Florida as a professor in 2012. By 2018, she became an associate professor, which means she earned a permanent position at the university.

She also helps out with an educational group called Pace Bahamas. This group works to support education in the Bahamas.

Awards and Special Honors

Dr. Sears has received several important awards for her work in math education.

• In 2016, the Florida Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators named her their "Mathematics Teacher Educator of the Year." This award recognized her as the best math teacher educator in Florida for that year.
• In 2021, Dr. Sears was chosen as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This is a very big honor! It means she is recognized as a top scientist and educator in the country. She was the first Black professor at the University of South Florida to receive this special award.