Press Room
White Salmon teacher is region's Teacher of the Year
Karen Strain has been named Educational Service District 112 region Teacher of the Year (TOY) for 2007. A teacher at Henkle Middle School in the White Salmon Valley School District, Strain is one of nine finalists from around the state for the Washington State Teacher of the Year Award. One teacher will be selected to represent Washington State in the National Teacher of the Year Program.
A graduate of Western Washington University, Strain has 17 years' experience in teaching, 12 of those in her current position as math teacher for grades seven and eight.
"Teaching for me is a journey that I take along with my students," said Strain. "The single most important factor in making me a good teacher is my innate belief that there is always room for improvement. This belief drives me to continually evaluate my lessons, my relationships with students, and my delivery of concepts, forcing me to find ways to improve so that my students can realize greater success. Each year I try to identify an area in my teaching that needs improvement, I then pursue professional development opportunities that will help me improve."
Strain has been instrumental in shaping the school's math curriculum. Strain says she "rethought how to teach math and then completely rewrote the seventh grade math curriculum into a more hands-on, manipulative and project-based program." This lead to the adoption of new textbooks. In addition, Strain initiated an advanced placement algebra class for highly motivated students.
Strain has also been active at the state level. She attended one of the first WASL trainings offered by the state to help ensure White Salmon students would be ahead of the curve on state testing. She worked on the Middle School Math Team with OSPI and helped develop the grade level expectations for the state.
Strain received two grants to enhance learning in her classroom--an HP technology grant and a No Limit grant. Through these grants, Henkle Middle School now has a projector, document camera, digital camera, and a smart board to explore new learning opportunities for students.
Strain helped initiate a credit recovery system for at-risk students to make up missing assignments before it's too late.
Strain will begin a masters program this fall, including the pursuit of National Board Certification. "As long as I am a teacher there will be room for improvement and I will continually strive to be a more effective educator," said Strain.
In a small town like White Salmon, says Strain, the school is the center of the community. "There is little distinction between the role of teacher and active leader in the community." After her daughter was born, Strain took six years off from teaching to spend time with her family, but she didn't take time off from the field of education...she joined the school board. In her spare time, Strain initiated a letters-to-Santa program, where children's letters are answered by Mrs. Claus. With nearly 300 letters coming in each year from places as far away as Maryland, Stain has enlisted the assistance of four to six elves who help her write the letters.
"We know from research with some certainty that teachers who inspire students to perform far beyond their own and others' expectations have very high standards," writes Rick George, principal of Henkle Middle School. "This is true for Mrs. Strain. One can enter her room any day, any time, and encounter a hushed intensity of focus upon the tasks at hand. Mrs. Strain backs up her high standards with even higher standards for herself. Students see this, and they respond."
"The data confirm what we know in our hearts: Mrs. Strain's dedication and skill lead to marvelous gains," said Principal Rick George. "The percentage of impoverished in our district's two primary towns is two to three times higher than that of the state, and yet, year after year, we find that our school's seventh graders grow far, far more longitudinally than their counterparts statewide, when we compare their gains from the fourth to the seventh grade WASL benchmarks." Despite very serious socio-economic and ELL challenges, our seventh graders pass the WASL at significantly higher rates than their peers statewide."
"Karen is the 'teacher of the year' every year in the lives of so many students," said parent and colleague Jill Shelley. "Hers is the name that often comes up when, upon graduating, students are asked if there was a particular teacher that they would consider especially instrumental in their high school success."
"I became a teacher so that I could make a difference, be a positive influence, in someone's life," said Strain. "I'd like to believe I've achieved that goal more than once in the seventeen years I've taught.
The state committee will interview the nine nominees in late September. One teacher will be selected to represent Washington State in the National Teacher of the Year 2007 program.