Michelle Iwasaki garners prestigious 2021-2022 Milken Award

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Elementary school educator Michelle Iwasaki of Hawaii garners prestigious 2021-2022 Milken Award. Photo Credit: Star Advertiser

I always enjoy sharing stories about talented educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Michelle Iwasaki, an elementary school teacher from Hawaii who has earned a prestigious Milken Educator Awards for 2021-2022. The honor was awarded for her stellar work in improving student outcomes in her school.

Michelle works as an academic coach for students in kindergarten, first, fourth, and fifth grades at Kalihi Kai Elementary School in Honolulu. She was instrumental in initiating the school’s partnership with the Turnaround Arts, a program which transforms schools through the use of art. In addition, her creative instructional approach involves using such online programs as Tableau, Snapshot, Reading Images, and Visual Thinking to help boost student engagement and allows students to improve their proficiency in reading.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Michelle trains and mentors other teachers in art integration strategies, she conducts professional development, and she leads visitations and presentations to other schools. She trains colleagues in the use of strategies called Guided Language Acquisition Design for her English language learners, and she developed a schoolwide Response to Intervention-Academic (RTI-A) system complete with diagnostic assessments, progress monitoring, and evidence-based interventions. Michelle conducts bi-monthly classroom observations for her grade levels, shares data with teachers to help them elevate their instructional practice, and prepares new teachers for walk-throughs and observations. Furthermore, Michelle has presented at ECET2, a teacher-led community focused on teacher leadership and collaboration, as well as conferences like Read to Me and School of the Future. She serves on the school’s academic review, arts leadership and literacy grant teams, and in 2018-2019 she was also responsible for guiding her school through its accreditation process with WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges).

Michelle earned a Bachelor’s degree in English in 2003 and her Master’s degree in Education in 2004, both from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

Covid-19 claims life of beloved educator Celia Hartman

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We are sad to report that beloved elementary school teacher Celia Hartman succumbed to Covid-19 last January. Photo Credit: Telegraph Herald, Iowa

We are sad to report that the educational community has lost yet another beloved educator to Covid-19. Celia Hartman, an elementary school teacher from River Ridge, Illinois, succumbed to the disease on Jan. 3, 2022. She was just 32 years old.

Celia was born on Dec. 29, 1989, in Dubuque, Iowa, although she was raised in Elizabeth. After her graduation from River Ridge High School in 2008, Celia earned her Bachelor’s degree from Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa, in 2012. Later she completed the requirements for her Master’s degree from American College of Education.

Celia was hired in 2013 to teach second grade at River Ridge Elementary School in Hanover, Illinois. In 2021, she switched to teaching preschool. Throughout her years as an educator, Celia had a reputation for being passionate about her career, and she harbored a genuine love for every one of her students.

Celia’s concern for her students went beyond the classroom. In 2018, she worked with colleagues Tammy Smith and Jen Laity to apply for a grant to help her young charges. The $500 grant, awarded to educators in the first ten yers of their career who want to pursue a service project, was part of the IEA’s Schools and Community Outreach by Educators program. The service project Celia chose to support is Cats Care, a program which helps support the personal needs of students, including providing personal hygiene items, clothing, shoes, and eyeglasses. Celia and her colleagues helped establish Cats Care along within the River Ridge Education Association.

Celia will certainly be missed by her students and by her colleagues.

 

NYC teacher Alanna O’Donnell earns Big Apple award

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New York City Special Education teacher Alanna O’Donnell has earned a coveted Big Apple award. Photo Credit: NYC Department of Education

There are many fine classroom teachers who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One is Alanna O’Donnell, a Special Education teacher from New York City who has earned a coveted Big Apple award.

Alanna teaches at PS K721, the Brooklyn Occupational Training Center, a high school located in Brooklyn, New York. Her students are aged 14-21 and have been diagnosed with autism.

Clearly Alanna is a teacher devoted to her students. She works tirelessly to ensure that all her students have access to rigorous community-based academic experiences, hand-on training in the skills they require to be successful in future employment and independent living, and opportunities to celebrate their success through donation-funded proms and graduation receptions.

The honored teacher has found new and inventive ways to keep her students engaged and invested in their education. One way she has done this is to implement work-based learning activities for her students by garnering donations from the community to buy groceries for her students and their families. Using these materials as part of her instruction, she creates culinary experiences for each student and supporting family member. She also offers family cooking lessons each week, highlighting cultural foods and preferences for each of her students.

Another example is the after-school group for girls she established when she saw the need for social emotional connections beyond the classroom. She calls the group the  P721K Pink Ladies.

Alanna is one of 20 New York educators who received a Big Apple award this year. Since 2012, the New York City Schools Chancellor has presented the Big Apple award to educators who have gone above and beyond to inspire students, lead school communities, or ensure their students learn course material. This year’s winners were selected by a panel which includes former Big Apple recipients, representatives of teacher unions, and Department of Education staff from a pool of more than 11,000 nominations.