Kohl McCormick Early Childhood Teaching Awards
Maeve Kanaley
Inter-American Magnet School
CPS
First Grade
Maeve Kanaley’s dual-language classroom at Inter-American Magnet School is a place of excitement and wonder for her first graders. Walk into the room, and you’re likely to hear her playing the guitar and singing. "There are 100 sight words that Chicago Public Schools wants first graders to know by the end of the year," she says. Kanaley uses songs, games and dramatization to teach those words, and to teach such skills as handwriting, comprehension, fluency and socialization. "Music is a pathway to literacy," she explains. In using music to teach literacy, Kanaley is utilizing Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. "My son Nicky was absolutely enthralled with Ms. Kanaley’s instruction," says Scott Ahlman. "She is one of the finest teachers I’ve ever known." That’s high praise: Ahlman is not just a parent; he’s a Chicago Public School principal.