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Hazelwood North Middle School Teacher Named Teacher of Year Finalist
James Muska, the Gateway to Technology teacher at Hazelwood North Middle School, holding microphone.
The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), selected James Muska, the Gateway to Technology teacher at Hazelwood North Middle School, as a finalist in its 2011 Teacher of the Year contest. ABCTE chose finalists from six states with one educator from each state receiving state ABCTE honors in mid-July. In mid-August, a national winner will be chosen from the six state winners.“
Muska’s enthusiasm for teaching both GTT and middle school students has been clearly evident,” wrote PrincipalLaurie Birkenmeier
in her nomination letter to ABCTE. Birkenmeier encouraged parents to vote for Muska by notifying them about the contest using her school’s e-mail blast system. He received the most votes in Missouri.
“Through using an experimental approach, Mr. Muska assists his students in utilizing teamwork and critical thinking skills while applying math and science concepts to solve real-world problems. His lessons are creative and challenging, leading to a motivating and engaging classroom environment where students truly enjoy being a part of the class,” she continued. “Mr. Muska developed and piloted a new program for our Academic Excellence GTT class, where students work in teams to repair broken items using research, investigation and teamwork to solve complex problems. This program has drawn attention from the other District middle schools and from our community at large due its success.
“Throughout the past year, Mr. Muska has worked with our children by serving as the school’s robotics sponsor, the sixth- and seventh-grade interleague basketball coach and as a volunteer for our interleague volleyball and track teams. In addition, he continually seeks opportunities for professional development to enhance his content knowledge and pedagogical skill. As a result, in January, Mr. Muska was asked to present at the St. Louis Project Lead the Way Conference and to represent Hazelwood North Middle School on a Professional Learning Community Task Force.”
The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to recruiting, preparing, certifying and supporting teachers.
