25 years of answering 'when will we use this?' earns a New York maths teacher a national honour

David Volz has taught maths in western New York for more than 25 years, and his favourite question is the one every teacher dreads: 'When are we ever going to use this stuff?' His answer is to show students the jobs — running missions at the Challenger Learning Center, where his eighth-graders step into the roles of scientists and engineers and see STEM as one overlapping, real-world thing. This week the Challenger Center named Volz the 2026 winner of its June Scobee Rodgers Educator Award, honouring teachers who inspire students to see themselves as capable scientists and innovators. He was recognised during a field trip — surrounded, fittingly, by his students.

SDG 4 · Quality education — Mechanism: individual leader