Melanie Derksen strives to stay up to date on new education trends and implement modern teaching methods in her fourth-grade class at Holaway Elementary School.
And when she needs advice, she goes to the people who know best — her students.
"Sometimes I ask the students, 'Did you like the lessons?' " Derksen said. "I'm constantly trying to figure out how to improve."
Derksen is one of five local teachers selected for the 2007 Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona Exemplary Teacher Initiative from more than 1,000 teachers in schools with large populations of low-income students.
The teachers receive $10,000 in savings bonds and will mentor University of Arizona student teachers for three years.
Derksen has used her students' advice, as well as her own creativity, to think of some innovative lessons.
People are also reading…
One idea included taking her students to a Safeway supermarket to teach them about sales tax and how to receive their change.
At her old job at La Cima Middle School, another idea led her to teach sixth-graders ancient Egyptian burial methods using linen, makeshift sarcophagi and Cornish hens.
"Every year I would mummify 22 Cornish game hens," she said. "After you wrap it, you give it a curse, like 'Here is King Cluck.' "
When Derksen stands in front of her class, she's more concerned with teaching her students about life than she is about standardized-test scores, she said.
"It's important to teach them to be well-rounded individuals. It's not just about reading, writing and arithmetic," she said.
Derksen has taught for about 20 years, including the last three at Holaway, 3500 N. Cherry Ave. It's on the North Side, in the Amphitheater Public Schools district. Before that, she taught at La Cima for 12 years.
She was inspired by her brother, a fifth-grade teacher in the Tucson Unified School District, after she heard the compliments and praise students paid him.
"They would talk about how great he was and how much of a great teacher he was," she said.
Derksen's husband is a retired teacher, she said.
She wants her students to know that she genuinely cares about their futures, she said.
"I actually live in the community and I see them in the community," she said. "They know I'm not just here to be their teacher. They know I care about them, and I want them to be successful."
Some of Derksen's students have learned other valuable lessons from her.
"She tells us to treat each other with respect," said Antonio Hernandez, 10. "We're like a family in the classroom."
Derksen stands out from all of Antonio's previous teachers, he said.
"She's like the best teacher I've had," he said.
Dustin Stuckey, 9, said Derksen is quick to offer her assistance during assignments.
"She comes around and helps us when we don't know what to do," he said.
Derksen has affected some older students as well.
"She shows me everything, from how to prepare a good lesson to how to interact with the kids," said Ally Magdalin, a student teacher from the University of Arizona who works in Derksen's classroom.
Derksen taught Magdalin to believe in the students — and in herself, Magdalin said.
"There's nothing that makes her more happy than when her students succeed," Magdalin said. "She would never give up on them."
Excellent Educators
The Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona is honoring five local teachers as part of its Exemplary Teacher Initiative.
The Arizona Daily Star has revealed the winners one by one through today.
Today's winner:
Name: Melanie Derksen
Age: 43
School: Holaway Elementary School
Class: fourth grade
