Saint Louis U. High math teacher Dan See won the Loeb Award, an award given out by the Science Center to exceptional teachers of math and science in the St. Louis metropolitan area who help enhance their students' learning. See, who has been teaching at SLUH for 29 years, is currently the Computer Science Department chair and teachers computer science classes and one class of AP Statistics. See was recognized for the award at an Oct. 2 event at the Science Center.

See was getting nominated for the awared by Math Department chair Julie Moeser last fall. 

“Because of COVID, they had to kind of back it up,” See said. “So the whole process was many, many months.” 

After his nomination, See had to get letters of recommendation from two fellow teachers, two parents, and two students.  He also had to submit a piece describing his philosophy of teaching, as well as other documents, to the committee. 

“The recommendations along with the philosophy of teaching really indicate to them what sort of teacher you are,” said See.

After the preliminary stage, teachers that qualified had to participate in an interview and give a presentation to a panel of five judges. The presentation was the final stage and tested the teacher's mastery of their subject and their presentational teaching style. Normally, the interviews and presentations are in person, but this year they were all online. 

The ceremony took place on Oct. 2 in the Omnimax theater at the Science Center. The event attendance was limited to 30 people because of the pandemic. Out of the five finalists, See was named the from a group of five finalists; the award came with a prize of $3500, a framed certificate, and a trophy. 

“I was definitely humbled. I was honored, but it was a little bit of a surprise,” said See. “I was happy to receive it, but there are a lot of really good math and science teachers everywhere.” 

See attributed winning the award to a combination of the praise in his recommendations, his philosophy of teaching, and his presentation to the judges, and he cited the supportive environment at SLUH for his success as a teacher.

“I’m really grateful to SLUH for being open to some of the new things we try to offer in the Computer Science department and the willingness to really support professional development and training.” 

See plans to put the prize money towards a new bike, but he sees the cash prize as a bonus. 

 "I just feel very fortunate that I've been blessed with the opportunity to teach and to grow as a teacher," said See.