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Meet Michele Chavis, Physical Education Teacher at Alief Taylor High School.

Ms Chavis has been nominated as a #SterlingShiningStar for the current school year.

Be sure to visit Ms. Chavis's page on our site to let her know how much she means to you.- www.sterlingshiningstar.com

#ATaylorHS #AliefISD #Sterling Shining Star Award #SNFG #Sterling National Financial Group

Beyond the Classroom Patricia Greenleaf, Alief Learning Center - Houston, TX

The main discovery on my 2011 Fund for Teachers fellowship was not about Galileo’s contributions to math and science – it was that students need teachers who are willing to do whatever it takes to make education come alive for them. In fact, applying for and receiving a Fund for Teachers grant made a new phase of my career come alive for me, as well.

When I returned from my fellowship in Italy and started creating an environment that championed students’ “out of the box” thinking, my peers and administration took notice. They watched my leadership skills emerge, cheered as I took the stage with Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss to speak on behalf of all FFT Fellows and celebrated when I won “Teacher of the Year” in our building and “Secondary Teacher of the Year” for the district. While I was content in the classroom, my peers and school leadership encouraged me to do more.

I became department chair, a member of the instructional leadership team and increasingly represented our school at the district level. As I completed assistant principal training last summer, a position opened up on my same campus. I moved from “day to day” classroom instruction to working as an instructional coach for teachers as an assistant principal. We work together on instructional strategies, mentoring, lesson planning, relationship building and student-centered learning. And as an administrator, I’m writing grants, finding resources and leading our teams toward shared success.

This expanded impact began when I boarded a plane for Italy on my FFT fellowship. I had never flown internationally or navigated a city (or country) alone. Fund for Teachers was the stepping stone to where I am now, without a shadow of a doubt. I grew in confidence and others’ confidence in me grew, too. Everything I learned during my fellowship continues to push me to get better and better, for myself, my students and my school community.