Four Metro East educators in teacher of the year final

By Sharon Stevens, Education Reporter

KSDK -- Teachers Brussels, East St. Louis, Edwardsville and Mount Vernon are among ten finalists to be the state's teacher of the year.

Nearly 175 nominations were reviewed this year by a selection committee comprised of administrators, teachers, school board members, representatives from educational service personnel, student support personnel, and former Illinois Teachers of the Year.

The Illinois State Board of Education selection committee said they all had one thing in common: they are outstanding teachers.

Martha 'Marty' Warren has been an educator at East St. Louis Senior High School for more than a decade. She mixes learning and laughter while teaching heady subjects, including honors anatomy and physiology and honors forensic science.

Being named as a finalist for 'Teacher of the Year' surprised her.

In an earlier career, teacher Robert Canada was a banker. But the Webster University graduate decided he would rather be a teacher. And so he went back to college and for the last 13 years he's been teaching fifth grade at Columbus Elementary School in Edwardsville.

Canada has embraced technology in his classroom; something that hasn't been lost on his students.

And one student said Canada is exactly what a teacher should be.

Student Emma Boone said a good teacher should be "strict but not too strict. Mr. Canada does that. And a good teacher shouldn't yell. Mr. Canada doesn't yell."

The winner will be announced during the Those Who Excel banquet October 24, 2009, at the Pere Marquette Hotel in Peoria.

The other finalists are:

--Amy Garcia is an Alternative Education Teacher for grades 9-12 at Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School in Flossmoor in Homewood-Flossmoor CHSD 233.

--Connie Harling teaches fourth-graders at Witt Elementary School in Hillsboro CUSD 3.

--Anastasia (Ann) Metaxatos is an English/Reading Teacher for students in the 12th grade at James B. Conant High School, Hoffman Estates, in Township High School District 211.

--Cathryn Olsen teaches Pre-K at Benjamin Franklin Early Childhood Center in Mt. Vernon.

--Ann Rodman is a Family and Consumer Science teacher at Oswego High School in Oswego CUSD 308.

--Kevin Rutter teaches Economics to students in grades 10-12 at Carl Schurz High School in Chicago School District 299.

--Tim Schnoeker is an Industrial Technology/Vocational Education teacher at Coulterville High School in Coulterville USD 1.