David Chia David Chia was born in 1972 in Singapore. At the age of 10, Mr. Chia and his family immigrated to the United States. Growing up in Rockville, Maryland, he attended local schools in the Montgomery County Public School system and graduated in 1990. Mr. Chia went on to attend the University of Maryland and earned his Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education in 1994. He then returned to teach in the school system that originally taught him. In 1998, he completed his Master's of Science in Mathematics Education from Western Maryland College.

In 1998, Mr. Chia received the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award from the Washington Post. At the ceremony, he spoke on behalf of all award recipients, "We are only teachers, but still, we are teachers. We cannot teach everything, but we can still teach something. We will not refuse to teach that something that we can." Later that spring, he was recognized as the Montgomery County Teacher of the Year. The following year, he was a finalist for the Maryland Teacher of the Year award. During the summer of 1999, he received a Fulbright Memorial Fund Fellowship to Japan. Mr. Chia is also a Fellow with the Maryland Technology Academy.

In the fall of 2000, he was recognized with a Milken National Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation. Throughout his teaching career, Mr. Chia has always remained child-centered and has commented, "Every aspect of the classroom should be focused on student learning and reflective of a child's development. That is what teachers do." Among the many innovative features of his classroom, his students have created living wax museums, a news program, a postal system, and a classroom economy where all students are integral members of the classroom community.

Mr. Chia's involvement in education extends beyond the classroom. He has contributed articles to professional journals and his science projects have been cited in several magazines. Mr. Chia has received several grants to support local school projects. He has also served on numerous district and state level committees focusing on teacher training, administration, technology, mathematics, science, and staff development.

Mr. Chia is currently a staff development teacher at Broad Acres Elementary School in Silver Spring. He is a "teacher" of teachers focusing on professional development and teacher training. His passion for children remains strong although his primary audience is now adult learners. "When I help one teacher improve his or her teaching craft, then I have effectively taught that class of students. Instead of having thirty students, I now have 650 students."


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