CRANSTON—At Glen Hills Elementary School, students learn through creation and exploration in Maria Santonastaso’s vibrant classroom. Bright with colors and laughter, her room includes a reading nook, tables with multimedia art and handmade books, and a busy blocks-building corner, while another space has been transformed into a pond ecosystem.
Santonastaso’s kindergarten students are engaging in their second integrated unit of the school year: animals and habitats. Although it’s a science-heavy unit, Santonastaso said her classroom also incorporates literacy, research, and creative components. She emphasized the importance of play-based learning, comprehensive learning, and classroom collaboration in her teaching.
“The most important piece is really building that community at the beginning of the year…everything else will fall into place,” said Santonastaso. “They’re eager to help each other, they support each other, they look out for each other and then the learning can happen after that.”
This fall, Santonastaso was announced as a National 2024-25 Milken Educator Awardee in front of her dear students and colleagues. The ceremony officially launched the Milken Educator Awards season.
“It was really exciting to share that moment with the students—my current students but also all the ones I’ve had. As a kindergarten teacher, you know the students the longest,” said Santonastaso.
About 45 educators will receive the Milken Educator Award this academic year. The prestigious award—which comes with a $25,000 cash prize—elevates early-to-mid-career K-12 educators throughout the nation for their impressive accomplishments so far and future teaching achievements.
“We applaud Maria Santonastaso’s commitment to providing her students with a strong foundation that prepares them for a lifetime of learning,” said Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Dr. Jane Foley. “At such a young age, Maria’s students are fortunate to learn under her watchful eye as she ensures their continued academic growth, engagement in hands-on activities, and individualized instruction.”
In April, Santonastaso will travel to Los Angeles, California for a red-carpet event where she will be celebrated alongside her fellow 2024-25 Milken Educator Award recipients and officially receive the grand cash prize.
“It opens up a whole new world that I never really expected to be part of…So, I’m excited for what’s to come,” shared Santonastaso.
Santonastaso’s students drawing, reading, and working together on a Monday morning in November, 2024. Photos by Belén Dumont.
Coming from a big family with many younger cousins, Santonastaso said she loved spending time with children at an early age and always knew that she wanted to teach kindergarten. She has been teaching for 11 years—she began in preschool special education and has specifically taught kindergarten for nine years. Santonastaso shared how she cultivates student collaboration and teamwork within her classroom while addressing the individual, specific needs of each child.
“I always said that I wouldn’t be the teacher I am without a special education background because all classrooms are diverse and every single student is different—disability for not, everyone is unique.”
Outside of the classroom, Santonastaso remains busy as an adjunct professor of early childhood education at Rhode Island College, a contributor to the college’s early childhood STEAM curriculum, and a member of Glen Hills’ improvement team, all while working the school’s before/after care program, coordinating a cheer squad for sporting events, and more.
Over the years, Santonastaso has gradually developed strategies and boundaries to balance her busy schedule and personal life. She advises aspiring and early-career K-12 educators to invest time and energy into exploring the areas and practices within teaching that interest them most.
“Follow your heart if there’s something that you’re passionate about…find a way to make it work regardless of the curriculum. You know how students work best, especially if you’re in early childhood and [think] about what’s developmentally appropriate for five and six-year-olds,” she said. “It’s not sitting at a desk for most of the day…a noisy classroom is a classroom that is learning and working and playing—as long as they’re on task.”
Photos by Belén Dumont.