2010
Award Winners
Anne McKenna
Dewey Elementary, Evanston
First Grade
Peek into Anne McKenna's second-grade classroom at Evanston's Dewey Elementary, and there's a good chance—a 70 percent chance, in fact—that you'll hear her addressing her students in Spanish. Anne is part of a movement called dual-language immersion: she spends 70 percent of her time speaking Spanish, 30 percent speaking English, to a classroom that is almost evenly split between students who are fluent in English and students who are fluent in Spanish.
"The typical bilingual program uses Spanish as a crutch to learn English," Anne explains. "The dual-language method demonstrates respect for both languages, and both cultures, and is much more effective at developing truly bilingual children. The Spanish-speaking children model their language for the English-speaking children, and vice versa."
The dual-language movement isn't without controversy: there are some who believe that a public institution like a school should function exclusively in English. But there's no controversy about Anne herself. Her principal, Andrew Krugly—himself a former award-winning teacher—says, "When I walk out of her room, I'll have chills down my spine or tears rolling down my cheeks, or sometimes both, because watching her work with kids is just truly an amazing experience."
Anne is equally amazing with adults. She hosts Spanish Family Reading Night for her students' parents, thereby extending the immersion to the home. "I have known many good teachers in my life," said one of those parents, "but Anne belongs in a special group that transcends the level of great teaching. She is the kind that students will write about years from now as 'the one that made the difference.' "
Anne also leads professional development workshops, for her fellow teachers at Dewey and for colleagues at other schools in the Evanston Public Schools. One of those fellow teachers, Steven Files, said, "When her students walk into the classroom in the morning, Anne sees each of them with a fresh pair of eyes every day. She sees them as constantly evolving. Every student matters."
Besides inspiring her fellow teachers, Anne also inspires others entering the profession—she is an adjunct faculty member at Dominican University in River Forest. There she leads graduate-level courses on teaching English-language learners.