Thelvie Cullins, Jr.

AP calculus teacher

School for the Talented and Gifted at Townview Magnet Center — Dallas, Texas

Thelvie Cullins, Jr. teaches calculus and AP calculus at the School for the Talented and Gifted at Townview Magnet Center in Dallas, Texas. While most students shy away from advanced mathematics, Cullins says, “Seeing learners achieve success in a subject that many people avoid energizes me!” He describes his classroom as a place “where each learner feels accepted as a person with dignity and has equal exposure to the preparations for success.”

Ben Mackey, the school’s principal, is most impressed by how Mr. Cullins “has revolutionized the way in which his students (and I!) think about math education. . . Mr. Cullins has worked to build a culture where perseverance, self-confidence and thinking critically are explicitly taught alongside the actual content of the course.”

Mr. Cullins holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Florida A & M University/Florida State University. He is a three-time recipient of the Dallas Education Foundation Principals’ Scholars/Teachers Recognition award and was honored with the 2014 Innovations in STEM Teaching award from the Texas Instruments Foundation.