This quarter, International Prep Academy’s Staci Ward instituted a weekly initiative titled “Carreras before IPA,” in which the school’s staff members list their career history before IPA. Classrooms receive information about a different person every week, and they then have to guess which teacher fits the bill.
Ward’s career hasn’t taken her far in the 21 years since she graduated from the University of Illinois, all of which have been spent in Champaign’s Unit 4 school district. But it has varied.
During that time, Ward has taught first, second and third grades before taking on her current role as an instructional coach and reading interventionist, and she’s worked at Robeson, Booker T. Washington and International Prep Academy. She also helps coordinate Unit 4’s Novice Teacher Mentor Program and the college and career readiness program (AVID) at International Prep Academy.
“Each one of these experiences has deepened my commitment to fostering learning and growth in every student and teacher I encounter,” she said.
I find my work important because … I can positively impact the lives of so many people. I get to partner with teachers, analyze lots of different types of data, and help tailor instructional plans to meet the needs of our students.
I became a teacher because … I love learning, and I want to help students discover who they are and who they can become. To witness the development of someone firsthand, and to also be a contributor to that development in a positive way, is incredibly rewarding.
My favorite or most unique lesson that I teach is … My favorite lessons to teach connect students to the past by creating opportunities for them to explore their own family histories. When I taught third grade, we learned about the Civil War. As a class, we learned about the significant contributions that well-known figures made. We researched multiple perspectives of people like Harriet Tubman and Clara Barton but also local figures like Samuel T. Busey. Busey lived in Champaign County, and his family founded Busey Bank. After learning about their lives and contributions, each of my students chose someone who was important to them to interview. They discussed important events that happened in that person’s life and how they believe they have contributed to their community. After the interviews, the students used their desks to create a “museum exhibit” to showcase artifacts, photographs and a poster featuring their special person. We also did a similar project when we learned about Moving West. Students first learned about life on the prairie and the hardships they faced during their move. Then, they had to interview their own families to discuss how they ended up living in their current residence in Champaign.
Right now, I am having a blast helping students learn about different careers by highlighting jobs that our staff members have held in their past. Each day, I secretly pick a different staff member to highlight. I give the students two clues: what the person’s old job was and what the person is responsible for in their current job. Then, they have to guess which staff member it is. This has been such an engaging way to expose students to a variety of jobs while also helping to get to know our staff members better!
I keep students engaged by … incorporating humor and letting them know that I see them as people, not just students. In my family, we try to find humor no matter the situation. It helps us to feel connected, especially when things aren’t going so great. So, I make it a point to talk to my students about all kinds of things besides academics. Through our conversations and jokes, I find out what is important to them as well as what they find challenging. And that helps me to plan different ways to approach them during learning times and make what we are learning more relevant to them.
Something else I’m passionate about is … my sorority work. I am a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., and I love the fact that all seven of our founding members were educators. When I am not working on my school work, you can find me helping my sorority sisters create a variety of programs that are focused on scholarship and enriching the lives of women and youth in our community.
My favorite teacher and subject to study in school was … Mrs. Barry. She was my second-grade teacher at Wagner Elementary School in Sauk Village, and she was my first favorite teacher. She saw the “teacher” in me and would often pick me to be her special helper. In her class, I felt seen and encouraged, and that’s also where I discovered a love of history and social studies. In high school, my favorite subject was Spanish. And Mrs. Farani at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights really made Spanish come alive for me. She would share pictures from her travels to Spanish-speaking countries, and she always had such interesting stories to tell!
If I weren’t a teacher, I would be … working somewhere that requires me to travel, learn different languages and help people increase their quality of life in some way!
— ANTHONY ZILIS