Ellen L. Hocking and Veryl Schult Biographies

Ellen L. Hocking (pictured) and Veryl Schult are recognized for their commitment to the art of teaching and concern for students. Their gift to the Mathematics Education Trust (MET) supports the professional development of mathematics teachers.

The Schult-Hocking Grant was established in part to honor Veryl Schult, who was an inspiration to Ellen Hocking. Schult was Hocking's mathematics teacher in college, and then her supervisor when she taught junior high school in the District of Columbia. Hocking believed that Schult was her only supervisor who knew mathematics and how to teach well. Schult often conducted after-school sessions to encourage good teaching, she supported membership in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and she promoted participation in workshop activities. Schult encouraged teachers to keep abreast of new emphases in mathematics content and teaching methods. Hocking is honored to place her name after Schult's in the Schult-Hocking Grant.

Ellen Hocking received her B.S. from Wilson Teachers College, her M.A. from George Washington University, and her Ed.D. from the University of Maryland. She began her career as a teacher of middle school mathematics in Washington, D.C. For 29 years, she taught in the public school system of Montgomery County, Maryland. Later, she became an associate professor of mathematics and program coordinator at Marymount University of Virginia, and an adjunct professor at the Marymount College of Palos Verdes in Rancho Verdes, California. For the past 15 years, Hocking has tutored middle and secondary school mathematics.

Hocking has been actively involved with both NCTM and the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM). Over the years, she has made numerous presentations at both national and regional meetings. She has also read and recorded mathematics textbooks as a volunteer for "Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic."

Ellen L. Hocking died in March 2008.