Analisa McCann has been a first-grade teacher at Broadway Elementary since 2013 where 75 percent of students qualify for free/reduced meals. She commutes an hour each way because of her commitment to students and families. She is a quiet leader on the school's Leadership Team and Wellness Committee as well as the facilitator for the new ELA curriculum. She has mentored over 12 Gonzaga practicum students and two student teachers.
Analisa is often one of the first to arrive at Broadway. She connects with students at breakfast and warmly greets them at her door with a hug. From the moment they enter her classroom, children are actively engaged in rigorous learning. She uses a gradual release of responsibility while instructing whole groups, small groups, and individuals. Anchor charts, work examples, and expectations are posted to scaffold independent learning at every level. Student work is proudly displayed, and at the end of the day, children call home to share successes while the class cheers. There's a genuine sense of community, cooperation, and respect.
Analisa implemented the "Readiness to Learn" initiative addressing childhood trauma. Spearheading the program, she created lessons for teachers to help ensure students are "learning ready" and welcomes colleagues to visit her class for ideas. She developed a brain game for caregivers to help their child be learning ready. As a result, punitive punishments have decreased, student self-regulation has increased, and the exit strategy has reduced.
Analisa coaches cross-country, hosts after-school classes for children, attends her students' weekend activities, volunteers at PTO events, and attends professional development classes and book studies. Analisa says teaching is her dream vocation because being with students is where she feels most complete.
“Since my daughter Gracie was in kindergarten I have volunteered an hour a week in her classroom, so I have now five years’ worth of experience watching every teacher she has ever had, and she’s had some very good ones. Ms. McCann is the very best of the bunch,” says parent Dave Skeels. “You would probably have to see it to believe it, but Ms. McCann can control a classroom with one eyebrow. She is the best teacher I have ever seen at class management. Students knew what was expected of them and would do it. Boundaries were clear. If a student strayed across the line, the eyebrow would come up and they would get back on the right side . . . Ms. McCann cares so much about the kids beyond the school walls. The summer after Gracie was in her first-grade class, she was going through a phase where she thought no one like her. Gracie’s birthday is in August, and only one of the kids we invited to the party showed up. I felt very sad and helpless as a parent. Can you guess who showed up to save the day? Ms. McCann came to her birthday party!”
