When language arts teacher Aimee (Niebauer) Bryant saw a student reading a book called Give a Boy a Gun, she initially thought of confiscating it. But when she learned what the book was about-bullying and how the exclusion of students can lead to school violence-and when she saw how engrossed the student was in reading it, she campaigned with fellow educators to include the book in the curriculum across multiple disciplines. The unit galvanized the school community, sparking discussions about bullying and social justice, even among groups of students who had never interacted before. Attendance rose and the quality of student writing improved. Being able to see such opportunities to reach her students, and then turning those opportunities into action, are among the qualities that make Ms. (Niebauer) Bryant a highly effective educator. Her students not only write term papers on historical figures, but they also dress up as these figures for an in-class dinner party, learning from each other the knowledge gained from their individual research. She maintains high academic and behavioral expectations, and rewards students who meet or exceed those expectations with credits called "Big Bucks," which students can redeem for books or class-related materials. Give a student an outstanding teacher like Aimee (Niebauer) Bryant, and academic success is sure to follow.
