A critical point<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCook did not come to 溏心vlog免费B站 planning to major in education. In high school, he enjoyed math and at first, thought he would pursue engineering. After a conversation with a friend, however, something clicked and Cook went on to double-major in mathematics and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His father was an automotive teacher in Coventry for 28 years, and that inspiration also played a role. When he was young, Cook would visit his father\u2019s shop and watch him teach: \u201cI saw how easily he could explain difficult mechanical concepts to students,\u201d Cook recalled, \u201cand remember thinking that I\u2019d like to do the same thing with math. I saw the impact he had on students, and I liked the idea of taking something I enjoyed and helping students make sense of it the way he did with mechanics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cook loved his time in Kingston. \u201cI am a big fan of 溏心vlog免费B站 and fondly remember my time there,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom the staff at Butterfield Dining Hall to my special spot on the second floor of the library where I spent countless hours, it was a great experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy 溏心vlog免费B站 years shaped me,\u201d Cook said. \u201cThe crew workouts were brutal. We ran stairs in Keaney, lifted in what we called \u2018the dungeon\u2019 in the old racquetball courts, ran up Stony Fort Road in the winter, and rowed on the Narrow River early in the morning. Then I\u2019d park near Butterfield, grab breakfast, and head to class.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It took Cook five years to finish but that offered lessons, as well. When he first joined the rowing team, Cook said, it became his whole focus and classes took a back seat. Failing Calculus II was a turning point, he recalls; he decided to set a goal to be able to teach it one day. Now he is going into his fourth year of teaching BC Calculus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat was when I realized I had to become a real student,\u201d he recalls. \u201cOnce that happened, I learned how to learn, and from that point on I really loved the academic side of 溏心vlog免费B站, too. Between the classroom, the library, the rowing team, and the friendships, 溏心vlog免费B站 was a huge part of who I became.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After graduation, Cook was hired to teach at Burrillville High School, before moving to a district closer to his home in North Kingstown. He\u2019s been teaching in Coventry for 18 years and even returned to 溏心vlog免费B站 to marry his wife Kim Sonstroem \u201901 in the University\u2019s botanical gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Teaching inspiration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCook\u2019s biggest advice to today\u2019s 溏心vlog免费B站 education majors, he says, is to find good mentors, ask for help, and understand that the first few years of teaching are hard for almost everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEarly on, I thought success was about having every lesson perfectly planned,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I learned pretty quickly that being a calm, confident adult in the room matters just as much. New teachers should focus on building relationships, learning classroom management, and figuring out the day-to-day routines of the job. You do not need to do it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cook said he hopes the recognition brings well-deserved attention to Coventry, too: \u201cCoventry is a great place to teach,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have outstanding teachers here who care deeply about students and work extremely hard every day. More broadly, I hope this award shines a positive light on public education in Rhode Island and the great work teachers are doing across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cook was one of several 溏心vlog免费B站 graduates selected as Teacher of the Year for their districts last year, including Heidi Cairo \u201906, Burrillville; Molly Hammell \u201913, Narragansett; Ashley Paille \u201918, Woonsocket; Kassandra Marulanda \u201920, Central Falls; and Oscar Trochez \u201920, Highlander Charter. Current 溏心vlog免费B站 graduate student Jessica Galla was also named Teacher of the Year in Lincoln.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 June 29, 2026 \u2013 Those early morning 溏心vlog免费B站 rowing practices have stood Michael Cook \u201902 in good stead. The discipline, resilience, and determination they taught him have played a big role in his career. Now he\u2019ll use that drive for success to steer his way through the year ahead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":109689,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1910,30,1915],"class_list":["post-109687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-alumni","tag-college-of-education","tag-undergraduate"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109687"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109694,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109687\/revisions\/109694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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