One of only 21 teachers from across the state to receive the prestigious grant, Ms Kropman was awarded the Premier's Australian Association of Special Education NSW Chapter Research to Practice Special Education Scholarship, and will travel to the United States next year on a study tour.

The opportunity means a great deal to the biomedical scientist turned science teacher, turned learning support co­-ordinator.

“I want to help students to be the best they can, and that starts with a positive and effective school experience,” Ms Kropman said.

“Essentially it's about inclusion ­- working with students so they can, despite learning disabilities, have educational hopes and dreams.”

And though the study tour’s brief to investigate “the self­determination learning model of instruction (SDLMI)” sounds daunting, Ms Kropman said what she hopes to achieve is really quite simple.

“It’s about finding teaching practices that can be used to help students become, with the support of their parents and teachers, the driver of their own educational experience,” she said.

“Basically, we want students with learning difficulties to be able to set their own goals in relation to school, help them determine how they’ll achieve those targets and then evaluate whether they've achieved them.

“This helps students build strength of character and resilience. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and pride and better prepares them for the future.

“They are more able to effectively transition into a life after school ­- whether it be at university, TAFE, in the workforce or travelling.

“SDLMI helps students grow and live with their disability ­- not be limited by it.”

Presenting the awards, the Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli said the benefits of the scholarships would flow through to students and other teachers at each of the scholarship recipients’ schools.

Member for Bathurst Paul Toole also congratulated Ms Kropman on winning the $10,000 scholarship.

“Catherine’s scholarship is a testament to the high quality of teachers we have in our community,” he said.