08-05-2025
Golden Apple: Reflecting on the 2024-25 winners
Each week, the Golden Apple Award-winning teacher receives $250 from Big Ideas Learning.
It's a local company that produces math textbooks and sells them in all 50 states and other countries.
The company is headquartered in the former Belle Valley School building. It was started in the 1970s by Tim Larson's dad, Penn State Behrend math professor Ron Larson. He wanted to fix a deficiency in math textbooks.
'Books were not very readable, not very student-friendly. They were difficult to get through. Maybe even intentionally difficult. His idea was that a math textbook should be readable, should be something a person should be able to sit down and understand and enjoy. We always like to say, 'Math isn't really hard unless you make it hard.' The old books were making it hard,' said Tim Larson, Big Ideas Learning's chief product architect.
Over the years, Big Ideas Learning has grown to a company of 180 employees. Most of them are working on the Erie campus.
In this digital era, you can find Big Ideas Learning math products everywhere
'Every media you can imagine. We do video work. We actually produce thousands of videos a year. We do a lot of digital products of all kinds, delivering book content, practice content. In addition to lots of print. Print is still a big part of what we do,' said Larson.
This is the second year Big Ideas Learning has rewarded Golden Apple teachers with a $250 cash prize to help offset costs in the classroom.
'We're an education company. And we're talking to educators every day. And obviously producing products for them. So it's a great fit for us,' said Larson.
Once again this year, Big Ideas will be presenting the Larson Cup to one of this year's 27 Golden Apple teachers. It's earned for how creatively they invested their $250 prize. Another way for the local company to say thank you.
'We really do appreciate everything you do. You are the core of learning. This is something research bears out. It's something we believe in strongly, that teachers are the most important part of the learning environment. So this is just a great way to say thank you and to support what you do, thank you so much,' said Larson.
Our thanks to Tim Larson and Big Ideas Learning for their support of the Golden Apple Award-winning teacher.
Be sure to join JET 24 on Wednesday, May 14, at 7 p.m., where we'll name the Golden Apple Teacher of the Year.
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