Paul Solarz is a retired teacher and author with a remarkable career in the field of education. Throughout his tenure, Paul dedicated himself to creating engaging classroom environments and fostering a love for learning. His innovative approaches and commitment to student-centered education have made a lasting impact on the education community.Paul's contributions to education and his innovative teaching methods have garnered recognition and praise within the field. His work exemplifies the transformative power of education and the significant influence that teachers can have on their students' lives. Over the past ten years, Paul was named a Top 50 Finalist for the Varkey GEMS Global Teacher Prize, which seeks to do for education what the Nobel Prize has done for science, literature, and peace. He was named Educator of the Year by Illinois Computing Educators (now called Illinois Digital Educators Alliance) for his work integrating technology effectively in his classroom. He was named a Betty Van Andel Teacher of Excellence for creating a classroom where curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking thrive. He was also named to the Qudwa Fellowship program, which focuses on promoting excellence in education, offering workshops, mentorship, and networking opportunities to enhance teaching skills and contribute to improving education systems, while developing and empowering outstanding educators globally.Paul earned his masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Illinois State University and is a National Board Certified and Re-certified Teacher. He also earned his bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Winona State University in Minnesota.In addition to his teaching career, Paul has published two books: "Learn Like a PIRATE: Empower your students to collaborate, lead, and succeed," which helps teachers discover practical strategies for creating a student-led classroom in which students are inspired and empowered to take charge of their learning experience and "Optimized Learning: 180 Mini-Lessons that transform today's students into confident, capable and collaborative, SELF-DIRECTED LEARNERS," which provides teachers with a system that helps students improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their learning process using the skills of Planning, Metacognition, Synthesis, Reflection, Self-Assessment, Goal Setting, and Feedback. Read more about this authorRead less about this author