Congratulations to Ellen Riek, Professor of English, who was recently awarded the 2010 Full-time Teacher of the Year (TOY) award and Fae Kauk, Professor of ESL, for winning the part-time associate faculty member Teacher of the Year award.
Both award winners have been honored with reserved parking spaces, wall plaques and will be recognized at the all expense paid NISOD’s International Conference of Teaching in Austin, Texas the end of May. Ellen will also be honored at the Yuma County Teacher of the Year Banquet.
Ellen Riek earned her Doctorate in curriculum and instruction at NAU in Spring 2009. Her Masters degree is in English literature. She worked with the honor students and taught English in Flagstaff for 7 years before coming to Yuma to teach for NAU/Yuma. When a Professor of English position opened up with AWC two years ago she came on staff. The transition from Flagstaff University to AWC was difficult at first. She really enjoyed working with the honor students in Flagstaff. But, “as fun as it was working with honor students,” she said,” being at a community college…where students are still trying to get their bearing and develop the skills they need to be successful as students, that’s where the rubber hits the road. Being involved in that developmental, confidence building process…. I love that. That’s what really gets me excited. In hindsight, I know this is where I was meant to be.”
And, involved she is. Ellen not only teaches English, she is actively involved as the faculty liaison for the English department in the writing center. She works with Vanessa Natseway, Director of Student Success Center (SSC), to organize tutor training and workshops. She has also helped with getting the new SSC building ready to open in the fall. This will enable the SSC to connect with students via ITN and video conferencing in places like Parker and San Luis. Ellen is also involved in the AVID tutor training program with Vanessa. The AVID program “targets students who are in the academic middle, who could succeed, but don’t have the skills they need, frequently they are first generation college students, without a college-going culture in their home. So, AVID creates an opportunity that these kids need so they can be successful. Most of them are wildly successful once they have the skills they need. This is the third semester of AVID tutor training and it has gone very well.” AVID tutors are different than other tutors in that they only ask the students questions in order to develop a higher order of critical thinking within the students.
When asked about some of her most memorable moments as a teacher, Ellen said helping students apply for scholarships and internships. “They work hard on filling those things out, along with their resumes. When they get the summer intern opportunities, it is really exciting. Also, there are some students who say English was really a challenge for them, but they come back and say they transferred to NAU and their classes are going well; those are the highlights for me. That is really exciting.”
Ellen enjoys what little down time she has with her husband and three children, ages 14, 12, and 10. She also enjoys reading when she can. What is her favorite read? “There is a long list of authors I enjoy,’ she said, “Isabella Allende is one of them.”
Fae Kauk ,is an Associate Faculty Professor of ESL. She graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman with a B.S. in Elementary Education, Western Montana (University of Missoula MT) with fifth year Guidance Counseling and Masters in K-!2 Broad field Education and NAU in ESL and endorsements in Adult Education. She has worked for AWC over ten years.
“I am so excited!” She said. “It is such an awesome honor to be able to represent your colleagues, community and all the students you work with, even the students at Crane School district where I worked for eighteen years,” she said. “All of them are the reason why I’m here; why I was chosen.”
When I asked Fae about her most memorable experience as a teacher she named several. At one point when she was very ill and had surgery a few days before Christmas, she opened her eyes and the physical therapist was one of her first grade students, Jennifer. She had come all the way from New York to help get her on her feet in time to go home for Christmas. Other treasured moments for Fae are “watching young students grow up and then suddenly one day they are here, at AWC! Or, the ESL students who struggle through and then you see them giving a speech or something and its like, look at you! Those are the greatest moments as a teacher,” she said.
To relax, Fae enjoys reading, cooking, music of all kinds and working in her quiet country garden.
The process for the TOY selection is a multi-step process that spans about 6-weeks the previous autumn. Teachers are nominated by students, faculty or staff in the form of a letter explaining how the teacher meets six criteria:
- Exhibits exemplary performance in the classroom
- Is accepted and respected by colleagues and administrators
- Is innovative, creative and enthusiastic
- Is involved in pursuing professional enrichment and intellectual growth
- Has demonstrated outstanding contributions and /or leadership in the school, district, community and profession.
- Exhibits a willingness to share expertise with others.
After all letters of nomination have been submitted, the nominees are asked if they want to accept or decline the nomination. If they accept, Blitz then visits the classrooms of the nominees to evaluate their teaching methods. The nominee must also fill out a question and composition form. Students from the class are also interviewed. Once all is complete, a ballot is sent to other faculty members.
AWC began the Teacher of the Year Award program in 1989, when Harold Anderson won. Since then, many familiar teachers have made the list – Chuck Smalley who is retiring this Spring after 32 years at AWC, Fred Coxen, Peter Morse, George Montopoli, Nancy Blitz, Tim Whittier and Scott McLean, to name a few. A full list is available at the CTE website.
Congratulations, Ellen and Fae! We appreciate all you do!
