Amy Kerby – Kindergarten Teacher

Location: Island Park Elementary

How she sees her job: “I want to give my students a positive introduction to school. I want to help them become independent learners by providing them with choices, and teaching them to explore their surroundings. My class is a place where they learn to interact socially, follow directions, and develop skills to help them become learners with a zest for life and learning.”

Typical day: “Our day starts with a ‘calendar routine,’” says Amy. “We sing the days of the week, and review the day ahead. We have a student ‘meteorologist’ who reports on the weather. We track how many days we’ve been in school, which is a lesson in math.” The students break for recess, which is only for kindergarteners so as not to be overwhelming. After recess, they have a Literacy period, where they blend words and talk about sounds, while simultaneously learning sign language for the new words, a practice that helps kinesthetic learners. “The kids can sing/sign Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and several other songs,” Amy says. “They will perform the songs at Island House Assisted Living in November as their first field trip.“

The students also practice reading in small groups while Amy meets with individual students to discuss reading goals. After lunch they rest briefly with heads on desks. Science is next – they are currently learning about trees. Then comes an art project or Free Choice – free time for students to choose an activity: blocks, imaginative play, games, puzzles, legos, or art materials. “Free Choice is a great time for trying out social skills,” says Amy, “and gives me more opportunity to meet with kids individually.”

Best part of the job: Watching her students master new skills and seeing the joy it brings them. “It’s really fun to see how much they grow and learn. They start the year so young and they grow so much.”

Something people may not know: Amy is a quilter, a craft she learned from her mother. These days, she focuses on baby quilts for her two children – Tristan, age two, and Liam, four months. Liam was born with a heart defect and required open-heart surgery shortly after his birth. “The thought of surgery was scary,” Amy confides. “A baby’s heart is the size of a strawberry. But he is our miracle baby. He came home from the hospital after only two weeks. We’d expected it to take twice that long.” Baby Liam is now fully recovered and the family is content because husband and daddy, Tye, a former member of the Marine Corps, is home for good after deploying to Iraq three times. He now works a civilian job at a box plant in Seattle. “We are very glad to have him back,” Amy says.

Years in district: This is Amy’s fourth year with MISD.

Outside interests: Amy loves to read and go trailer camping. The family takes frequent weekend jaunts, often to the Hood Canal area and Deception Pass. They live in Renton.

David Baxter –Grades 3-4 Highly Capable Program Teacher

Location: West Mercer Elementary

Job Decription / Philosophy: The Highly Capable program strives to provide an enriched learning environment focused on independently accelerated instruction, project-based and simulation learning, and multi-grade flexible grouping of 3-5th graders.

Typical day: “Unlike many teachers, I am not an early riser,” David chuckles. “I come in at 8:30 a.m., but often stay until anywhere from 6:30 or 8:30 p.m. The long days haven’t burned me out—you build up stamina.”

David’s school day is broken up into several blocks, starting with Math Workshop, during which he moves from student to student and incorporates mini lessons within the broader curricula. In Literature block, students are given a variety of choices using the CAFÉ (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding vocabulary) model of instruction. CAFÉ focuses on independent or small group conferencing on skills such as reading, in which students select independent goals and make a plan on how they’ll achieve them.

David is an enthusiastic proponent of technology in the classroom. “The most powerful tool, I have found, in teaching students to be better writers is the document camera. It gives them an unprecedented opportunity to compare and be influenced by each other’s work.” He also engages students by giving them a chance to share their thinking and work with a broader audience using podcasting and iMovie to document and share writing and ideas on the Internet.

In the afternoon David teaches a fifth grade science and social studies class. When his third and fourth graders return from science and social studies instruction with other teachers, David has more activities including a venture he calls Curiosity Quest. “My students are at a very formative age, and I want them to explore topics they care about. I am always asking, ‘What do you think?’ when they come to me with questions, because I can’t solve things for them. I also model constructive criticism— which I’ve discovered kids are great at giving to me and to each other.” Aesthetic attention to their projects is another essential in David’s classroom. “I encourage students to experiment with technology tools such as iPhoto, Word tools, and Powerpoint, for clear, polished presentations. This helps them figure out what works in getting their points across, or how to adjust for a better outcome.”

Best part of the job: “Getting to work with young people who are still open to the wonders of the world,” David says. “Growing up I thought of myself as an optimist. Then I went to college and became a pessimist. Now I consider myself a realist. But there is a lot of good in the world, and I want to focus on that and share it with my students. I am also inspired by the incredible array of teachers in this district. I feel every person I work with gives 100%.”

Something people may not know: “One of my favorite things to do,” says David, “is sit in the woods and be silent. As a teacher it helps me to stop and listen to the world instead of speaking to it.” David grew up in Wisconsin and obtained his degree in theatre with minors in history and theology at Marquette University. He got his masters in teaching at City University. It was a “mad adventure” road trip with his brother 18 years ago that brought David to Washington State. “We stopped at Shi Shi beach on the Fourth of July,” David confides. “I watched the sun sink into the ocean and thought, ‘what an amazing place.’ I decided Washington was where I should be.”

Years in district: This is David’s fifth year at MISD. He taught in Federal Way for seven years prior.

Outside interests: Though he loves the urban activities that Seattle has to offer, David lives on 1.25 acres in Renton. His property is surrounded by farmland that can’t be developed, and contains a grove of forty wide-trunked cedar trees he intends to preserve. David put in a flower garden recently and plans to do a vegetable garden in the spring.

Polly Giovanelli –Second Grade Teacher

Location: Lakeridge Elementary

Job Decription / Philosophy: Polly grew up on Mercer Island and attended district schools all the way through her senior year. Much of her approach to teaching stems from growing up in a great family and the excellent education she received here. Polly makes it her business to do everything possible to help each student reach his or her potential.

Typical day: “I love every day here!” Polly says. “There is never a dull moment. We have a lot of fun in my classroom. I walk around humming and dancing and the kids are so used to me that they don’t even look up anymore!”

“My favorite activities this year are the Daily 5,” Polly continues. “I was inspired by the enthusiasm of fellow teachers Cathy Dugovich and Barbara Tivnan.” The Daily 5 is a structured approach to promoting independent learning – students read to themselves or to someone else, do word work, and practice writing. “The children are doing a wonderful job of ‘building stamina’ as we work on reading silently for longer periods,” Polly explains. “This allows me to spend time with small groups or read with a student, one-on-one. I am so enthusiastic about this program. My students are getting totally turned-on to reading and becoming much more fluent readers!”

Best part of the job: “Definitely, it’s relating with children,” says Polly. “Focusing on them is extremely fulfilling. Things are happening all the time - somebody’s rabbit just died; someone else lost a tooth; another child is anticipating a visit from grandma.” Polly treasures the many relationships she has formed with students. “It‘s all so meaningful. For instance, I was just walking back from taking my students to music class, and the next thing I know, there’s a little hand in mine!”

Something people may not know: “Hmmm,” Polly ponders. “I’ve been at Lakeridge for so long and I’m such a talker – I can’t imagine that there’s anything people don’t know about me! I just got a new car, but everyone here knows that!” When Polly was a student at Lakeridge, “I got sent to the principal’s office for breaking a bathroom stall door because I was goofing around with a friend. I was so nervous that all I could do while I sat in the principal’s office was laugh.” Polly smiles at the memory. “I was lucky that Mrs. Nigren, the principal, understood that I always laughed when I was nervous!”

Years in district: Polly has taught at Lakeridge for a total of 23 years. “I don’t know where the time has gone!”

Outside interests: Before teaching on Mercer Island, Polly taught for seven years in California and Arizona. She and husband Bob currently live in Redmond. Polly has two grown sons, Jetton and Travis. They both live in California. Polly and Bob’s busy household also includes two dogs – Jack, a fun-loving Golden Retriever, and Maggie, a feisty Cairn terrier – and a beloved cat named Tux. Whenever possible, Polly and Bob bring their dogs along – even on vacations. Polly’s much-loved brother, Tom Giovanelli, lives on Mercer Island. She enjoys getting together with Tom and his family often. “Between family get-togethers, a busy household and teaching,” Polly exclaims, “I keep pretty busy!”

Mindy Moore – Fourth Grade Hand-in-Hand Paraprofessional

Location: Island Park Elementary

Job Decription: As a hand-in-hand paraprofessional, Mindy supports the fourth-grade teachers and reinforces lessons and monitors the students to keep them on track. Each Hand-in-Hand paraprofessional takes a turn at planning an activity during recess. This is called Recess Camp. Mindy likes to do arts and crafts during her Recess Camp. Recent projects have included making barrettes, blowing paint freestyle through straws, and making apple babies. About 50-100 kids attend Recess Camp each week.

Typical day: Mindy’s workday starts at 8:00 a.m. with Eagles Nest Math Group where she assists those needing extra help. From 8:45-9:00 a.m. she supervises recess. Then she is back in the classroom helping small groups and dividing her time between the four classes, depending on what is needed, in writing, math, and reading. Mindy conducts Recess Camp during the final recess of the day.

Best part of the job: “The kids,” Mindy says. “There is never a boring moment in this job. One day we’ll be writing, the next day doing math. There is never an uninterrupted process – it is always changing. If I start a project that doesn’t go over well, I think, ‘let’s try something different.’ The kids give good feedback. This school is a good place to be. The kids and staff are always enthusiastic and happy to see each other.”

Something people may not know: “I like to drive my little mini Cooper convertible,” Mindy says. Mindy is also a chocolate aficionado, (“Sweet Decadence makes great chocolate, but I’m not a snob. I’ll take Hershey’s too!”), loves coffee and animals (she has 2 corgis and 2 cats).

Years in district: This is Mindy’s seventh year with MISD.

Outside interests: Mindy enjoys traveling. Last summer she went to the Mediterranean with husband, Eric. “I like travel because you read about different parts of the world in books, but it’s like ‘wow, how cool’ to see the places in real life.” In Greece, she fell in love with Greek donuts. “They are like baklava, but small—you can pop them in your mouth.” Mindy and Eric have two grown children, Brandon and Kyle.

Kelly Tran – Second Grade teacher

Location: Lakeridge Elementary

Job Description: Kelly’s main objectives are, 1) instill a life-long love of learning in her students, 2) to teach in an engaging way that makes learning meaningful to her second graders, 3) to know who they are as individuals (strengths & weaknesses) in order to meet their needs.

Typical day: “People who don’t work in schools are always surprised to find out how early I get here (around 7:30 a.m.), because school doesn’t start until 9:00 a.m.!” Kelly exclaims. “I need those extra hours to plan the day.” She emails parents, updates the class website, modifies lesson plans according to students’ needs, grades papers, and sets up materials for the day. “A 20-minute lesson can often take much more than 20 minutes to prep!” Kelly laughs. After the students arrive there’s the morning check-in routine and a literacy block.

Then comes snack time. “Snack time is big for 2nd graders,” says Kelly. “I think they like being responsible for their own snacks at school.” ‘Read Aloud’ time is another favorite. It’s a chance for students to relax, listen, and have a casual book discussion. “I read a chapter a day, usually from a book that is slightly above their reading level,” Kelly explains. “My students are often capable of grasping complex details even if they aren’t directly reading the material themselves.” Afternoons are filled with math and a combination of science, social studies and/or art. During class discussions, students practice connecting what they are learning at school to what is meaningful in their lives. For example, “If we are studying coins, they can relate to it by talking about shopping with their parents and what it means to get change. This expands the discussion to include addition and subtraction concepts.”

Best part of the job: The challenge of figuring out what engages her students and makes the learning at school meaningful to their own lives. As a teacher, Kelly has discovered that “children have worlds of their own to share about at school. It’s fun working with so many little human beings that are constantly growing and exploring.”

Something people may not know: Kelly was an art major in college, specializing in welding and woodworking sculpture. “I turned in my welder’s gloves for pencils and papers! I wanted to focus on the craft of teaching.” Kelly hopes to one day realize her vision of integrating art more with other curriculum areas. “Art can be more than glue and crayons at the elementary level,” she explains. “I view art as something that is found in everything. I see natural opportunities to integrate art into reading, writing, science, social studies, and math. For instance, artists use symmetry, which enriches the subject of geometry. I am lucky to work at MISD. This district allows you to integrate art into general instruction, if you can find the time. The hardest thing,” she says wistfully, “is finding the time.”

Years in district: This is Kelly’s sixth year with MISD.

Outside interests: Recently married, Kelly is “trying to balance my life! Now, instead of staying late at work, my goal is to get home at a decent hour to be with my husband.” Dan, who is a glassblower, and Kelly enjoy developing the artistic side of their lives at home. Kelly also likes to cook, and is learning new recipes for the wild salmon that Dan catches in his free time. Kelly is also helping her parents transcribe their memoirs for their family’s history. Her parents emigrated from Vietnam one month before her birth.

Michael Bylsma – MS Program Coordinator, Student Mentor Teacher, and 7th Gr. PNW History Teacher

Location: Islander Middle School

Job Description: As program coordinator, Michael is involved in student discipline, lunchroom supervision, planning field trips, and facilitating the WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) program which is focused on helping 6th graders become comfortable in middle school. “One of the things I do with WEB during summer break is to train 7th and 8th grade student leaders to work with 6th graders on the first day of school. To a 6th grader, the middle school seems so big. They wonder ‘how will I reach my locker? Where’s the PE building?’ It’s less scary with other kids helping them.”

As a Mentor teacher, he supervises structured study for kids who need extra help or attention. Michael, who taught 8th grade language arts/social studies prior to his current assignments, plans to someday become a school district administrator. “As a teacher, I really enjoyed communicating with parents, helping to bridge that divide between them and their kids, especially since 12-14 year olds don’t always go home and talk with their parents.”

Typical day: Michael arrives early and begins to navigate between his multiple positions. He doesn’t really know what most days will entail, so there really isn’t a typical day.

Best part of the job: “I get to be in the hallways,” says Michael. In middle school, the hallway seems to replace elementary school recess. Students have a 5-minute passing period every 55 minutes, to travel between classes. “It’s the middle school’s social time,” Michael explains. “I like learning names and being that recognizable face. I watch out for safety issues, both physical and emotional.” Michael is on hand to keep things moving, and be present for whatever need arises. “I enjoy helping,” he says simply.

Something people may not know: Michael’s mother went to middle school on Mercer Island. Michael grew up in Mountlake Terrace, and attended college at WSU, Notre Dame De Namur University, and San Jose State. He began his teaching career in San Jose. “The kids were great,” Michael notes, “but they had hardships like I have never seen. Coming to Mercer Island, with such great parent, administrative, and peer support, was like coming to a different world.”

Years in district: This is Michael’s third year with MISD.

Outside interests: Michael and his wife Adrienne, a teacher at Eastside Catholic, enjoy traveling. This summer they attempted a cross-country trip in a 1982 Vanagon, “our ramblin’wreck,” Michael laughs. “We made it to Chicago, turned around, broke down in St. Louis and again in Denver where we decided to tow it back.” Michael and Adrienne live in Ballard, and Michael plays golf “as often as I can.”

AnnMarie Laird – Third Grade teacher

Location: West Mercer Elementary

Job Description: While a traditional elementary school teacher who teaches all the subjects except PE and music, AnnMarie strives to empower her students to feel safe and fearless as they learn. “I try to give my students confidence so they can get up in front of class and risk giving a wrong answer. They know they will be supported and praised for being willing to take the risk.”

Typical day: An early riser, AnnMarie opens her classroom door around 7 a.m. surveying the room for a visual sense of the day’s flow, she prepares accordingly. “But my day really starts when my little treasures stream in,” she says. During her teaching career, AnnMarie has developed a special greeting, which she gives to as many arriving students as possible. “It starts with a thumb squash, a handshake, and then I twirl the student under my arm like in a dance move,” she explains. It is a physical acknowledgement of the student and their successes. “Third graders appreciate my warped sense of humor. They know I like to tell ‘yokes’ (jokes) and they also know that I care about them and that we will work through challenges together.”

The morning usually consists of math, reading and Writers Workshop. In the afternoon there are specialists in different subjects, depending on the day (science, social studies, music and PE). ‘Dessert of the Week,’ according to AnnMarie, happens each Friday. This is a program that AnnMarie calls Community Contributors, which matches third graders to kindergartners as ‘buddies.’ On the first day of school, the Community Contributors’ debut task was to walk their buddies to the school busses at the end of the day. A few Fridays later, they will excitedly anticipate reading stories to their kindergartner buddies.

Best part of the job: “When the light goes on in their eyes,” says AnnMarie. “Third grade is an amazing grade. They still have a joy in learning and are thinking beyond themselves, thinking deeper thoughts.”
Something people may not know: AnnMarie was an investment banker before becoming a teacher. “I have found that teaching is actually harder than investment banking because, with teaching, you don’t leave the job at night. You are always thinking about it and planning.”

Years in district: This is AnnMarie’s third year. She taught K-12 in Enumclaw for 18 years prior to joining MISD.

Outside interests: AnnMarie’s son, Ryan, is a foreign aid auditor with USAID. AnnMarie recently indulged her love of travel with a visit to him in the Philippines, where he is stationed with his wife. “I love to travel to a new country, dig into its history and culture, and learn about its people,” she explains. Daughter Katie is a student at the University of Oregon. AnnMarie also enjoys photography and reading.