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Schools

"Unconventional Teacher" To Be Honored

A Cranford resident has been named the 2011 Teacher of the Year.

Kindergarten at the Bradford School in Montclair is about what the students want, not what they need. Under the leadership of teacher Ellen Cahill, her students have the opportunity to learn about philosophy, civics, animals and even the Wild West.

Through her alternative teaching methods and ability to use humanities to engage her students, Cahill was named the 2011 Teacher of the Year by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. The Teacher of the Year Award is bestowed annually on an elementary, middle, or high school teacher who understands the complexity, value and richness of the humanities, including such subjects as history, literature, comparative religion, world cultures and ethics, and whose approach to humanities education is interdisciplinary and creative.

Cahill, a resident of Cranford, has been teaching at the magnet school for 10 years. She said because of the age of the children and their desire to learn, it gives her a chance to be creative.

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“I make the curriculum based on what the kids want,” she said. “It should be all about what they want to do.”

At the beginning of each school year, she asks the students what they want to learn and they each write down one thing on a piece of paper. Then, throughout the school year, they learn about everything the students wrote down in addition to the required curriculum. Cahill said sometimes even she learns something new.

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Going to school should be fun, she said. After kindergarten, classes are more structured and having the freedom to choose what is taught in class is important, she added.

“They feel like they own it (class) and that’s what I want,” she said.

At the end of the previous school year, the principal told Cahill she was being nominated for the award, but Cahill just wanted to relax on summer break, she said. But, Cahill obliged and after submitting her curriculum, recommendations from parents and teachers and her teaching philosophy, she received a call a couple months later telling her she won.

“I was really surprised because I really didn’t want to be nominated,” she said. Cahill said there is a downside to winning; she has to give a speech at the awards.

One parent who can attest to the exemplary teaching job of Cahill, is Elizabeth Emero of Montclair, whose son had her as a teacher last year. Emero said Cahill made a huge impact on her son’s education and he truly enjoyed her class. While most people believe kindergarteners can only play with blocks and learn basic skills, Cahill incorporated philosophy, literature and history and made it like a “college” classroom, she said.

“She is extraordinary,” she said. Emero even said her son cried during the summer because he missed school.           

Cahill was one of 21 teachers who were nominated for the award. Mary Grace Whealan, the awards facilitator of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities said it was a tough process to select a winner, but in the end, Cahill deserved it.

“It’s a challenging process to decide who the winner is,” Whealan said.

The award often goes to a high school teacher, but her teaching methods and the recommendations from teachers and parents stood out, Whealan said.

“The committee had lot of glowing things to say about her,” she added.   

Cahill will be honored at the annual NJCH Awards Celebration on Oct. 26, at the Montclair Art Museum. Tickets may be ordered by calling 888-FYI-NJCH or visiting the NJCH website at www.njch.org.

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