Class of 1977

Year Inducted 2016

Margie Pearse attended Primos Elementary, Beverly Hills Junior High, and Upper Darby High School. At UDHS, Margie was on the field hockey, swimming, and lacrosse teams. Margie was also active in student government and the National Honor Society. She won the Primos Elementary College Scholarship.

Margie received her undergraduate degree from Temple University, a Master’s Degree in Multicultural Education from Eastern University, and post-graduate training from Penn Literacy Network. She has over 30 years of teaching experience with certifications in mathematics, elementary education, English as a Second Language (ESL), and Pennsylvania Quality Assurance Systems (Certified Instructor – PQAS 2014). She is presently at First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School as the K-12 Math Coach and in higher education, training pre-service teachers how to create deeper, more numeracy-based lessons. Margie has three children: Chris, Drew, and Gloria. She resides in Morton with her husband Chris of over 33 years and has an amazing grandchild, Ayden.

Margie has three published books: Teaching Numeracy: 9 Critical Habits to Ignite Mathematical Thinking, released by Corwin in 2011; Learning That Never Ends, released by Rowman & Littlefield in 2013; and Passing the Mathematics Test for Elementary Teachers, by Rowman & Littlefield in 2015. Teaching Numeracy was nominated for the 2012 Distinguished Achievement Award.from the Association of Educational Publishers. Teaching Numeracy was adopted by the NCTM 2015 as their book study of choice in Minnesota, was the Summer 2014 book study choice for Math Coach’s Corner with over 6,000 followers, was the Summer 2015 book study choice for the Educator’s Book Club with over 2,000 followers, and was the 2015 district summer blogstitute for McDowell District in North Carolina. Teaching Numeracy is presently rated #1 for digital mathematics education textbooks on Amazon.

Community service has always been an important part of Margie’s life, and she was awarded a “Hometown Hero” award in Springfield in 2006 for her service. She was an emergency responder for both Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. She was a peacekeeper in Kosovo with her daughter during the summers of 2005 and 2006 and volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia for 10 years.

Her educational philosophy can be summed up as such, “Why NOT reinvent the wheel. Yesterday’s lessons will not suffice for students to succeed in tomorrow’s world. We need to meet students, not just where they are, but where they need to be. There is great potential in every child. It is our job, as educators, to empower students to discover that potential and possess the tenacity and self-efficacy to reach it. “