At Hopedale Memorial Elementary School in Hopedale, Michael Aw currently teaches 6th grade English Language Arts and Geography in a fully inclusive team setting.He is currently piloting a team-teaching program to enhance integrated, interdisciplinary instruction within a self-contained, heterogeneous, full-inclusion classroom. In order to make use of unstructured mornings when students arrived on different bus schedules, Aw developed a morning math routine in which students work on problems while listening to classical music. The additional 100 minutes of math that the program provides each week have helped 95 percent of participating students achieve proficient and advanced standings on the statewide standardized tests. Aw leads the school's annual "Books and Beyond" celebration; helped initiate the Ecology in the Community Program to extend the learning of ecology beyond the classroom; and co-created a partnership with the Heifer International Program to increase cultural awareness among students.
Michael also manages a 6th grade Destination Imagination team. He has mentored numerous Field Study II students from local colleges and universities over the years. He helped create and maintain a classroom library to promote reading. His 6th grade team of teachers continued to partnered with Heifer International to deliver annual service learning project "Read to Feed" to promote literacy and help fight hunger around the world. His team was recently awarded "Outstanding Educators" by a parent organization SPEAC, a support group for Special Needs Students.
Michael heeded the call after the tragic events of 9/11. He graduated from a reserved police academy in 2003 and became an Auxiliary Police Officer for the town of Holliston, where he currently serves as a Sergeant.
