She’s tops in teaching

By Diane Villano-Prokop
Times Staff Writer

There are a lot of good teachers out there, but Barbra Burke, the literacy teacher/coach at the Austin Meehan Middle School, is tops.
Lawrence Brennan, one of her 14-year-old students, will tell you that.
"She’s like a mom teacher, there to help you," he said. "She’ll go over details, show you easier ways of doing something. She made my reading level go up from a 5.5 to a 9.8."
Her students aren’t the only ones who realize she’s special. It was a rather heady week for Burke, considering the media attention and her being in the spotlight during a May 3 ceremony at the Franklin Institute, when she was applauded as the School District of Philadelphia’s Teacher of the Year and the recipient of the annual Dr. Ruth Wright Hayre Award for Excellence.
The following morning, staff and students at Austin Meehan hosted their own tribute to her.
Burke who was nominated for the award by her school’s administration, still hasn’t gotten over all the excitement.
"Since I received (the award), it’s a blur. (U.S. Rep.) Allyson Schwartz called me from Washington, D.C.," Burke said of the lawmaker’s congratulations. "I don’t think I can believe it. Never in my wildest dreams."
The school district honored Burke for her leadership in literacy efforts at Meehan, her thoughtful teaching methods, and her involvement in school activities.
Burke, 57, who grew up on Dyre Street in Northwood, went to Harding Junior High and Frankford High School, and her teachers in those schools tended to show her what it is to be a good teacher, she recalled.
Burke remembers her first-grade teacher, Miss Moran, as "a perfectionist and demanded that of her students."
"My expectations are up there," Burke said, raising a hand in the air to illustrate. "They seem to meet them."
As for those teaching methods that absorb kids in their learning, Burke is known for using rewards and incentives to motivate her students. She suddenly realized that perhaps she got her famous Jolly Rancher candy incentive from her fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Treadwell.
"I might have gotten that idea from her. Zagnuts . . . remember Zagnuts? . . . she gave them out on Fridays," Burke said.
Burke’s arrival at Meehan nine years ago followed a circuitous journey. She graduated from college in 1971 and taught in Norristown and at Kenderton Elementary in North Philadelphia for a few years before starting her family.
"I was a stay-at-home mom," she said, recalling that years later when her son was in medical school and her daughter entered college, "I played tennis, went to the gym and shopped."
Burke’s brother David Gregory, currently on sabbatical from teaching physical education at Meehan, had called her back then and asked if she was bored. Meehan, he told her, was in desperate need of long-term substitutes.
Eventually, Burke decided to get back to teaching, starting at Meehan in 1998 as a substitute teaching economics in the expressive arts curriculum.
She had generated so much enthusiasm among her students that 83 parents visited her classroom on back-to-school night. Burke’s brother had told her not to expect more than a handful.
"I knew I must be doing something right," Burke said.
The rest is history — in her case, built on passion, dedication and a sincere concern for the well-being of her students.
"I love what I do more than anything in the world," she said.
According to literacy teacher Angela Ormond, Burke is there for the kids and seemingly has a key that opens the door to their minds.
"I insist on every single child being extremely engaged," Burke explained.
Her classroom is separated into three stations. While Burke works with a group of students at tables in the classroom, five more students are working on computer software in a back corner, while five others are busy reading in the independent reading area — complete with a sofa, coffee table, two silk trees and two recliners.
There’s also a poster of Miss Piggy dressed as Cleopatra, along with a special message: Fall in Love with Books.
Kelly Gallagher, 14, was busy reading Someone to Love Me, a mystery by Anne Schraff.
Jesus Hernandez, 15, was reading Paul Langan’s The Fallen, about a Mexican-American boy. As he got comfy in the recliner, Jesus related the story of how the boy copes with the death of his brother in a drive-by shooting, and how his teacher tries to convince him that he has the potential to be something great.
A teacher making a difference in a boy’s life, just as Burke tries to do with her own students.
"She deserves everything she got. I’m proud of her. I’m happy for her," the student said.
Burke gives her students praise and rewards for each of their successes. For delivering the first "thank you" of the morning, answering a question or reading a paragraph with passion, youngsters receive smiley faces from the teacher and can trade them in at the end of class for Jolly Rancher candies.
On computers, the children work with Read 180 software, a self-paced reading program, and are rewarded with 25 points for each segment they complete. Those points helped Lawrence Brennan do his Christmas shopping, selecting a dish for his mom and a pocketbook for his sister.
Kindness and respect are key in Burke’s classroom. Manners are always praised.
Last week, Burke’s class worked on reading and comprehension skills, reading five paragraphs devoted to lessons on how to treat people. She coached the students if any needed help with the paragraphs.
"Conscientious, a fabulous word. Chunk it. Con-sci-en-tious. You’ll know this word for the rest of your life," she told them.
Below the fifth one, there were three messages printed at the bottom of the page: Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like you do when nobody’s watching.
Another was handwritten: Smile like you never smiled before.
After all, that’s Barbra Burke’s number-one rule posted on a wall in her classroom: Smile and Be Happy.
Teachers and administrators alike agree that her smile and can-do attitude are infectious.
"Her enthusiasm is always sustained. She’s like sunshine, always cheery," said principal Mary Jackson, who nominated Burke for the teacher award.
School secretary Shelley Cornine agreed.
"She has a knack of making everyone feel special," Cornine said.
Burke made special-education leader Guy Lowry feel that way on his first day on the job — his first day of teaching science at Meehan. She has inspired him every step of the way since.
Lowry recalled how Burke came to his classroom before school started, just to welcome him. When she learned his textbooks hadn’t arrived, she came back later carrying a heavy box of books about science that she thought he might be able to use.
"It made such a difference," he said. "It wasn’t just the books. I do attribute my success to Barbra. She inspired incredible confidence in me."
Teachers respect Burke not just for her kindness but for her willingness to go out of her way and uncover any strategies that might help the kids.
"She leads by example," said Ormond, who will retire this year after 28 years of teaching. "Barbra has a pile just like you. She’s knee-deep, sometimes breathless, but she’s not belly-aching."
When Lowry congratulated Burke on the success of her club to raise PSSA test scores while distributing pizza to 200 kids, Burke told him, "Honey, it’s not about test scores. Scores are a byproduct of students learning and achieving."
Sandi Gallagher, the school’s roster chair, offered a perfect example of just that.
Two boys not known for being studious were walking around the school in search of Burke. When Gallagher asked them why, one boy replied, "I’m done this book. I need two books for the weekend."
Burke follows a tradition of teaching excellence at Austin Meehan. Three years ago, special-education leader Lowry won the Young Educator of the Year award for Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Last year, technology teacher Andrew Skopp was honored with the Pennsylvania Milken Educator Award and $25,000.
Burke’s award was accompanied by a $2,500 stipend to the school from Lincoln Investment Planning Inc. It will fund a yearly $100 scholarship for graduating eighth-graders at Austin Meehan who have a desire or passion to teach. ••
Reporter Diane Villano-Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dvillano@phillynews.com
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