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Regional Teacher Of The Year Uses 'Project-Based' Approach

Head shot of Robyne Muray
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Robyne Muray
Robyne Muray has been teaching at Lansing Eastern High School since 2014.

Ten Michigan educators have been named as 2018-19 Regional Teachers of the Year and will comprise the 2018-19 Michigan Teacher Leadership Advisory Council, a group of teachers dedicated to sharing a teacher’s voice in education discussions throughout the state. WKAR’s Katie Cook spoke with Robyne Muray, who was selected as one of the ten, and teaches in the Lansing School District.

 

 

 

Robyne Muray started substitute teaching in 1999 while attending the University of Michigan Flint. After graduating, she obtained her teacher’s certification at the encouragement of Flint Community Schools. Muray has been teaching English, language arts, and history at Lansing Eastern High School since 2014.

She says her teaching philosophy is largely centered on project-based instruction, where the class explores ways to connect current events to the unit of instruction they’re working with.

“I bridge the students where they have to go out into the community. I want them to see what it’s like, the real-world application piece, because if it’s more tangible, I think that the student will have a stronger enduring understanding.”

When hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Muray’s students worked together to raise money to help, and they found applications in the literature they were reading.

“So they actually compared and contrasted the plight of what was going on in Puerto Rico with the plight of the Okies in the Grapes of Wrath, and each group wanting just to have the opportunity of the American dream and being able to be successful,” says Muray.

The ten Regional Teachers of the Year will give presentations and interview with a six- person panel before the teacher of the year us chosen. Regardless of who is selected as Teacher of the Year, all ten teachers will be meeting throughout the next year to work toward the goal of making Michigan a top ten education state in ten years.

 

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