NIU doctoral student honored
among 'American Stars of Teaching'

by Mark McGowan

The skies over NIU doctoral student Michelle Lia-Twohy grew brighter this fall.

Lia-Twohy, who is working toward an Ed.D. in the College of Education's Department of Literacy Education, was selected as one of 51 “American Stars of Teaching” by the U.S. Department of Education.

Already an NIU alumna with a master's degree in reading, she is a reading specialist at Western Trails School in Carol Stream. Lia-Twohy's principal nominated her, putting her in competition with 1,800 other educators across the country.

One winner was chosen from each state and from the District of Columbia.

“I was completely and totally shocked,” Lia-Twohy said. “One of the parents told me after I received the award that I am the kind of teacher who tries to teach the whole child and not just the subject area.”

The American Stars of Teaching are, according to the U.S. Department of Education, “classroom teachers who are successful in raising student academic achievement for all of their students, often through the use of innovative classroom strategies … (and) representatives of the thousands of teachers who, regardless of the challenges they face, are making a difference in the lives of their students.”

Part of the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative, the program includes teacher and principal roundtables, summer and fall teacher workshops, a research-to-practice teacher summit and a weekly e-mail update called “Teacher E-Bytes.”

Laurie Elish-Piper, director of the NIU Reading Clinic, said Lia-Twohy is “extremely knowledgeable and insightful about teaching reading.”

“She's an incredibly smart and talented teacher. She's a very warm and kind person, and that allows her to work well with children at that intermediate elementary level who are struggling and need help,” Elish-Piper said. “She also works well with teachers, and she works diligently, always looking for ways to improve her practice.”

Lia-Twohy was a teacher in second- and fourth-grade classrooms when she began graduate school in DeKalb.

“When the position of reading specialist opened, I was interested in actually using my degree,” she said. “I work with primarily grades two to five. My students are one grade level or more behind in reading, and they just need a little help.”

Children in those grades often are left behind in reading intervention, Elish-Piper said, which makes Lia-Twohy's service all the more valuable.

“School districts need to make decisions about where they have their reading specialists focus their work, and they prioritize the very youngest children, figuring that's where it's most critical,” Elish-Piper said. “But by fourth- or fifth-grade, some children still need help in reading.”

Lia-Twohy integrates other parts of elementary school curriculum during her sessions. When children came to her not knowing the worth of a dime, she taught a unit on counting money. She also keeps a globe in her room.

“Reading is everything,” she said. “Without reading, you can't read a math story problem or read a map.”

“Reading is the hub of the curriculum. Everything students do is somehow related to reading, be it the sciences, social studies or even math,” Elish-Piper agreed. “Beyond school, reading is essential for life. It provides us with options for jobs, avenues for involvement in the community and ways to support our own families.”

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