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Is Albuquerque Teacher the Next Teacher of the Year?
School for Integrated Academics and Technologies' Michael Mack Heads to California for National Awards Gala, Teacher of the Year Announcement, and Week of Celebration
**LIVE Webcast: Awards Program Hosted by High School Musical Cast Members August 1st, 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET), www.disneyteacherawards.com **
Anaheim, Calif. - July 26, 2006- The 2006 Disney Teacher Awards get underway this weekend, and finalist Michael Mack, a high school mathematics teacher at the School for Integrated Academics and Technologies (SIATech) in Albuquerque, is getting ready to travel to Anaheim for a week of fun, learning, and celebration. Mr. Mack is among an elite group of 44 teachers from across the country up for the prestigious Disney Teacher of the Year title that celebrates creativity in teaching.
Mack teaches at a public charter school designed for students who have dropped out of school but want a chance to earn a high school diploma and receive vocational training. Michael is helping kids - who some may have given up on - by building his classes around hope, social justice issues and ways for his students to connect class lessons to their everyday lives. His students often come to his classroom way behind their peers, but they progress an average of two to three grade levels after taking his class.
"This week of celebration is just one way that Disney salutes dedicated teachers around the country for nurturing their students' creativity and inspiring them to achieve more than they ever thought possible," said Terry Wick, vice president of Disney Worldwide Outreach. "This year's Honorees are special, but they also represent the thousands of other teachers making a difference in our nation's schools every day. We invite all of Albuquerque's schools to celebrate the accomplishments of Mr. Mack and all of the area's outstanding teachers."
During the week, Mr. Mack will be celebrated at a black-tie Awards Gala where cast members from Disney Channel's High School Musical will host, entertain and honor the teachers' accomplishments. The Honorees will also be featured during a Disneyland Main Street Parade and Ceremony at Sleeping Beauty's Castle, attend VIP events and receptions and share teaching strategies with their fellow award-winning teachers. During the Gala on August 1st, four Honorees will be selected as Outstanding Teachers, and one will be named the 2006 Disney Teacher of the Year.
Students, parents, teachers and community members can watch as the Outstanding Teachers and the 2006 Teacher of the Year are announced live from Disneyland. The event will be webcast on August 1st at 7:00 p.m. PT (10:00 p.m. ET) on www.disneyteacherawards.com.
Mack's teaching style stands out among his peers. "I use real-world issues, statistics, situations and language to give my students a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. The topics in my class have included racism, sex, sexual orientation, child labor, civil rights, immigration, politics, religion, history and anything else my students believe affects their lives," explained Mack. "I take their concerns, opinions and issues and make mathematics curriculum from our discussions. I teach my students that mathematics is a powerful tool that can be utilized in making changes to their lives, their communities and their world."
In May, 44 teachers from across the country were chosen from more than 75,000 nominations to receive the 2006 Disney Teacher Award in celebration of their creativity, innovative teaching methods and ability to inspire their students. All finalists received $10,000, a week of celebration at Disneyland, $5,000 for their schools and a six-day professional development institute with their principals. At the institute, teachers share ideas to refine their innovative teaching approaches and learn how to engage other teachers to build an effective collaborative teaching culture at their schools.
The four Outstanding Teachers and the Disney Teacher of the Year chosen on August 1st will each receive an additional $15,000 from Disney Worldwide Outreach.
In a letter to Disney, one of Mack's students explained, "I am one of the students who did not know about math, and since I have been in his class, I have gained a lot of knowledge from him. Math is never a boring subject because Mr. Mack always finds ways to make it fun and exciting to keep us motivated, and that makes us want to learn more and more each day."
Disney Teacher Honorees are selected by their peersÑformer Disney Teacher Honorees and representatives of leading educational associations from across the United States. Honorees come from every subject field and every level of preK-12 teaching. They are nominated by students, parents, colleagues and community members.
"I began teaching because I wanted to make a difference and to show my students that school is a place of ideas, creativity and critical knowledge. I wanted to change the idea that schools needed to be a warehouse for students. I want to lead my students into the new century armed with knowledge that will make them powerful, critical, democratic citizens," said Mack. "My advice to new teachers is to remember that students come to class with community knowledge, cultural knowledge and critical knowledge. We must respect all of these pieces of each student, and learn to teach using curriculums that respect diversity, differing cultures and values."
About SIATech
About Disney's Outreach
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