Central Michigan Life

Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: News

John Ehlke/ Senior Photographer [Click to enlarge]

When Amy Straus was growing up, she played "teacher" with her brother. She always knew she belonged in front of a chalkboard.

Now Straus is a real teacher. Straus has taught at Central Academy in Ann Arbor for five years.

The fifth-grade teacher was recognized on Nov. 2 as Teacher of the Year during the 10th annual Michigan Charter Schools Conference.

"I didn't even know I was a finalist," Straus said.

Her principal, Luay Shalabi, said he was excited to share the news about his staff member.

"I'm very proud and happy and I want the whole world to know about it," Shalabi said.

He said Straus is known as a hands-on teacher.

"What is great about Amy is that any time I walk into her classroom, I've never seen her sitting behind her desk," the principal said.

Straus believes in group work and teamwork activities. She said she teaches that way because that's how she likes to learn.

"I just think that students are going to enjoy that as opposed to paper and pencil and a textbook," Straus said.

Straus pushes her students to think creatively in their learning process, Shalabi said, anything is considered an instrument of learning for Straus.

"Amy brings the simplest things, like a cereal box, and creates a teaching tool," Shalabi said. "Every wall of her room is covered in her students' work."

Straus' class adapts Shakespearean plays into screenplays and reads comic books as supplements for concepts such as gravity. Straus said she recognizes no boundaries to possible course material.

"When I assign Shakespeare, the kids' eyes open and their jaws drop," Straus said. "They tell me that's what their big brother or big sister is learning in high school. I tell them we're going to learn it now."

Straus teaches every subject to her fifth-grade class and said she cannot choose a favorite.

"My kids always ask me what my favorite subject is and I just don't have one," she said. "I just like to integrate and do cross-curricular activities. What we're learning in one subject will correlate with what we're doing in another subject and the connections help the kids understand the information."

Straus said she enjoys teaching at a charter school because she has curriculum freedoms.

"I'm still teaching state curriculum, but I have many other opportunities," Straus said.

Straus has her own Web site where she posts additional activities for the students to try. The students are encouraged to work because of special recognition, such as getting a star on a bulletin board in class, according to charterschools.org.

"Of all the things I can teach my students, I hope they leave my class having a love of learning," Straus said. "I want them to understand that they're never done learning and that it can take them so many places."



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