Cross Case Features: Teachers

Hay Edwards Middle School: Social Studies

Rose Hoska, Language Arts/Social Studies

Rose Hoska was clearly a major contributor to the integration of Asia into Hay Edwards and an inspiration to other teachers to join her in this vision. She “infiltrated” Asia into her classroom, even when the curriculum was not directly related, by finding the places to make connections and build bridges.

Rose Hoska taught Language Arts/Social Studies at Hay Edwards Middle School for several years. She taught two mixed seventh/eighth grade blocks. She was the catalyst for Hay Edwards’ involvement with a sister city school in Japan and for getting the whole school interested in Asia-related projects. She was one of the motivators for other teachers taking advantage of the NCTA seminars. She felt it was very important for children to “understand the diversity that is outside their community. We have kids who have never been to the beach.”

Even with this year’s focus on U.S. History, Rose Hoska was teaching the content “through the eyes of Asia.” She tried to make connections for the students throughout this year’s study, consistently asking them how Asia influenced the U.S. and its development. “I looked at all the materials provided [for this year’s U.S. History course]. What I noticed was the first paragraph of the textbook … How did we come to know what is now the United States? It began with looking for a trade route to Asia. I literally spent the first term with students asking, ‘Why did people want to go to Asia? What was so important about Asia?’ To understand the U.S., you have to understand why they were headed this way. That is where we began.”

Rose Hoska used the books from NCTA in her classrooms, along with the fables, stories, activities, and resources shared by seminar leader Jerry Roth in the seminars. Emulating the seminar leaders’ use of personal reflection and connections, Rose Hoska asked students to reflect on their own experience first, then connect their experience to the Asian content.

Michael Reyes, Language Arts/Social Studies

Michael Reyes is an experienced teacher who has been at Hay Edwards for one year. He teaches Language Arts/Social Studies with sixth/seventh graders. He feels he is strongest in Social Studies and relies on Rose Hoska and Kenneth Tracy (colleagues who are also NCTA participants) for their expertise in Language Arts. Michael Reyes feels the inclusion of other cultures in the school curriculum is particularly important because of the town’s lack of diversity.

Michael Reyes appreciates professional development opportunities that allow teachers to meet and learn from each other, share information, and try things out together. Michael Reyes’ interest in incorporating Asia into his curriculum stems, in part, from his History and Geography background. He’s a member of the state Geographic Alliance and has used that organization to spread the word about NCTA, rounding up two other teachers to attend the NCTA seminar.

Kenneth Tracy, Language Arts/Social Studies

Kenneth Tracy teaches Language Arts/Humanities to sixth/seventh graders at Hay Edwards Middle School. He also teaches a haiku class, called “Haiku Moment,” that looks at the symbolism behind Japanese ideas. Through his participation in work related to the state education standards, including scoring writing assessments, he feels that he has gained an understanding of what the state is looking for in terms of student learning and what helps students learn. Kenneth Tracy will be going on the NCTA study tour to Japan with seminar leaders Jerry and Maria Roth.

Kenneth Tracy feels strongly that students need to recognize the importance of Asia and to experience the variety and richness of Asian cultures. “I feel like it is important for students to recognize cultures that are very different from their own. I sometimes think Asian culture might appear Western or Westernized, but when you dig under the surface a little bit, it is fascinating to look at customs and beliefs.”

Kenneth Tracy hopes to inspire students by the enthusiasm he brings into the classroom and interest in exploring Asia. He uses a ‘literature circle’ approach to connect students with Asia — having them read a novel, discuss it, research the culture from the novel, and then share their learning from the research. Kenneth Tracy also has incorporated Asian content into this year’s curriculum, despite its emphasis on U.S. History. “It is kind of seamless. It is not a part of a specific curriculum. It is just a little piece of a unit. So I think my students get fairly regular doses of Asian culture.” He uses the books from NCTA in his classroom, along with the fables, stories, activities, and resources shared by seminar leader Jerry Roth in the seminars.