Inside a Modern Classroom with Michelle Gross, 2026 Kentucky Teacher of the Year
Michelle Gross, a math teacher at Spencer County Middle School, was named the 2026 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year.
Michelle is a 22-year veteran math educator who teaches 7th-grade math and a Gifted & Talented class where students pick a subject area to explore more deeply. She loves teaching math because not only is she good at it, she also loves helping students see how the subject connects to the real world.
Prior to implementing a Modern Classroom, Michelle struggled to support students when they missed class. “This model has helped because students know the routine and never have to ask, ‘What did I miss?’” Michelle says. She also said that enrichment was hard to make time for in a traditional classroom. But as Michelle says, “the foundation of this model is that students are never done, and my students have adapted to that well!”
Now, Michelle is seeing students develop greater motivation and the ability to be drivers of their learning. “Students who already like to work ahead are not only able, but encouraged to. Right now, halfway into the school year, I’m seeing students who struggled with self-pacing at the beginning of the year doing much better. And I’m happy to say that our winter test scores reflect that!”
Not only has it shifted students’ experience in the classroom, but it has transformed Michelle’s, as well. “As for me, I love having the time to work with small groups,” Michelle says. “It allows me to provide one-on-one help to students and strengthen connections made with them.”
At the ceremony in early October, Michell said, “I want to build a culture of learning throughout the state of Kentucky that’s rooted in community. I want to see every voice uplifted. I want it expand beyond a single classroom or a single year.”
Kentucky Teacher, a publication of the Kentucky Department of Education, wrote a description of some of the projects Michelle runs in her classroom:
One project that Gross leads is the ratios recipe project. Students pick a recipe and use math to scale it up for a crowd or scale it down to feed just a few people. Then they actually cook the food, either for their family or their class.
Gross also started a class initiative called the Dream Homerama project where each January, math students design and build a model of their dream house. They start by researching architecture and design concepts, then gather inspiration.
Using the math they learn in class, students draw their house to scale on blueprints. Then they design it digitally and build 3D models using whatever materials they want.
Gross said she enjoys seeing students getting creative with it by using materials such as popsicle sticks, LEGOs, cardboard and foam board.
Each year, students have the opportunity to present their houses in front of architects, contractors, interior designers, real estate agents and community members. Students present what the inside of their houses look like, explaining how they used math to determine design features and how much paint they would use.
“It has become a big deal over the past few years,” Gross said. “I love looking at being creative and looking at ways kids can use the math they’re learning, but in a way that would make sense to them or a way that they might use in the future.
Michelle’s classroom shows what’s possible when mastery, self‑pacing, and real‑world problem solving come together with a teacher’s relentless care. Her students aren’t just memorizing formulas—they’re applying mathematics to create, iterate, and present with confidence. The result is measurable growth, deeper motivation, and a learning culture where every voice matters. As Kentucky’s 2026 Teacher of the Year, Michelle’s work is a reminder that when we trust students to drive their learning - and give teachers the time and tools to coach them - school becomes a launchpad for life.
