Chrissy Gurekovich, a 6th-grade teacher at Shaler Area Elementary School, was named the Open Up Resources 6–8 Math Teacher of the Month for May, 2019. Ms. Gurekovich is being recognized not only for outstanding work in her own classroom, but also for her contributions as a member of the Open Up Resources National Professional Learning Community. She’s collaborated with teachers across the country through virtual web meetings, Twitter chats, book studies and support in the Facebook community.
Ms. Gurekovich’s work with Open Up Resources 6–8 Math makes her one of the most innovative teachers in the country. The curriculum inspires a new way of teaching math by transforming classrooms into hives of activity focusing on discussion, questioning, debate, and the deeper conceptual learning of mathematics that follows.
Although Gurekovich is a 17-year teaching veteran, she says this year, she has “found the joy in teaching again.”
“The progression and activities for each lesson in Open Up Resources 6–8 Math has truly made class engaging for my students,” she said. “I can see their confidence improving right along with their mathematical reasoning.”
Ms. Gurekovich’s favorite moment of the school year actually came in the cafeteria when she overheard a student who had previously been identified as a struggling math learner.
“I walked by his table one day at lunch to hear him conducting a ‘Notice and Wonder,’ one of the instructional routines from class, with his friends. He was asking what they noticed and what they wondered about his turkey and mashed potatoes bowl! That paired with the growing confidence, increased classroom participation, and improved assessment scores have made my year,” Ms. Gurekovich said.
Open Up Resources is a nonprofit on a mission to increase equity in education by making excellent, top-rated curricula freely available to districts. You can learn more at
www.openupresources.org.