Aga Cook’s lifelong educational journey gives new meaning to the word “dedicated.” Originally hailing from Poland, Cook has made her mark on Camp Mohave Elementary School in her roles as a fifth grade teacher and district-level positions as a K-8 curriculum coordinator and data coach. Cook forges community partnerships to bring her data-driven lessons to life, whether it is turning her classroom into a mock trial, setting up a solar project with an electric company or inviting a bank to speak to students about financial literacy. Her creativity in expertly weaving standards into her instruction is paying off, driving her students to consistently outperform the state and district in ELA and math.
Cook’s success in the classroom has allowed her to broaden her impact on the school and district, where she helps lead fellow faculty in gathering, reporting and utilizing data to inform instruction. As a curriculum coordinator, she helps to ensure that newly adopted ELA and math curriculum, as well as standards pacing guides, meet student needs.
Sitting on the school leadership team, Cook often leads grade-level data meetings and collaborates with colleagues on effective instructional strategies. Her leadership extends to school and district professional development, where she has presented on topics spanning curriculum evaluation, data collection, assessment, and classroom management. Fostering a healthy growth mindset for herself and colleagues, Cook also attends conferences and presents at district board meetings. Additionally, she has contributed her rich knowledge of standards through rubric and pacing guide development on the curriculum adoption committee and curriculum alignment and revision council.
In addition to involving the Fort Mohave community in the collective education of her students, Cook develops strong relationships among families, communicating frequently with parents and providing livestreamed lessons for students who are absent. Outside of school, she teaches adult English as a second language (ESL) classes at Mohave Community College.
Cook earned a Diploma of Higher Education in Law from the University of Lodz in Poland in 2002 before arriving in Arizona in 2005. She received a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Northern Arizona University in 2011 as well as her teaching certification there in 2012. Cook earned a Master of Education in educational administration from Grand Canyon University in 2019.
Press release: $25,000 Milken Educator Award Launches Fort Mohave Educator into National Spotlight
As a teacher in a socio-economically disadvantaged area I have a responsibility to bring in all possible resources to create a rich learning environment. One of the greatest rewards of my daily work is seeing my students successful in life.
