West Anchorage High School Teacher Wins Milken Educator Award

Wednesday West Anchorage High School Teacher Temperance Tinker-Kays was surprised as a recipient of the prestigious Milken Educator Award.

Temperance Tinker-Kays has taught just about every level of English at Alaska’s West Anchorage High School, including grade level, honors, International Baccalaureate (IB) and Advanced Placement (AP). She’s revered for her ability to pull more out of her students than even they know is possible. Tinker-Kays creates a calm, nurturing, supportive environment where intellectual risks are celebrated and supported, and students work hard to meet her high standards. She creates “Vocab Slam” events, where students use vocabulary words they encounter during literature units to create unique slam poetry, and her classes’ work hangs from the ceiling, spills into the hallways, and is displayed at the district’s offices. Tinker-Kays mentors many of West’s National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, helping them hone writing and presentation skills, as well as IB students completing their required “Extended Essay” research projects. West students know Tinker-Kays wants them to grow into well-adjusted, compassionate, productive humans, and that she will be there to help them on that journey.

Along with the $25,000 financial prize, recipients join the national Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,800 top teachers, principals and specialists. The network serves as a rich resource for fellow educators, legislators, school boards and others dedicated to excellence in education. 

"Thank you to Ms. Tinker-Kays and the Milken Foundation for giving us another opportunity to celebrate quality teaching," said Dr. Michael Johnson, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, who is a Milken Educator himself from Alaska’s 2008 class. "Congratulations Ms. Tinker-Kays for this premier award and recognition."