Teacher of the Month

r By Kristi Gilbert

This year, 9th-grade students at Merit College Preparatory Academy engaged in an extraordinary learning experience and service project designed by their English teacher, Greta Crofts. Although English is not typically perceived as a community action class, Mrs. Crofts gave her students the opportunity to use their writing skills to help others in a meaningful way.

After significant instruction in interview skills and writing personal narratives, students visited a local assisted living facility where they were paired with residents to write a story from their life. Although initially hesitant, students found the experience immensely rewarding. After the first day’s interviews, students excitedly returned to class and shared the stories they had gathered from residents.

Over the course of several interviews, students began to form friendships with the residents. Once students completed their initial draft of the narratives, they met again with residents (sometimes several times) to allow them to review the narratives and provide their input. The culmination of the project was that students presented each resident with a final copy of their own story. Reflecting on their experience, students expressed that this had been one of the most original and meaningful learning experiences in their high school careers.

That is why Serve Daily has selected Greta Crofts as our Teacher of the Month. We express our thanks and admiration to Greta Crofts for providing innovative, meaningful instruction for her students.