Congratulations to Elise Griffin, Birch Creek Elementary's Teacher of the Year!
Congratulations to Elise Griffin, who was recently honored as Birch Creek Elementary’s 2018-19 Teacher of the Year! Griffin, who has been an educator at Birch Creek for four years, considers teaching her sixth grade students a privilege. She is constantly incorporating hands-on learning into her curriculum in order to better engage the students in her classroom. Outside of teaching writing, science, and social studies to her sixth graders, one of Griffin’s personal hobbies is yoga. Every Monday, she integrates yoga into her school lesson plan. “I feel learning should be active,” Griffin remarked. “We all love Meditation Mondays because of it!”
Griffin’s desire to make her classroom engaging and unique stems from the great teachers she was associated with as a student herself. She recalls being inspired by her high school teachers, especially her Native Studies history teacher, Mrs. Standing Bear. “She taught me the importance of being yourself and of being relatable to students,” Griffin shared. Griffin has sought to incorporate that principle into her own teaching by developing relationships with the students and staff members with whom she works.
“She has worked cooperatively with team members and the faculty as a whole to help children be successful as leaders and learners,” Principal John Anderson said of Griffin. “She is wonderful at helping our staff become more united in both relationships and work.”