Learning: DisneyHand Teacher Awards: The 2004 Honorees
Gail Janus Kreher
Special Needs: High School Literature, Writing, Journalism to students with learning disabilities

Gail Janus Kreher
Mill Springs Academy
Alpharetta, GA

"By the time my LD kids reach me in high school, plenty of fingers have messed with their pie. Many arrive in my literature and journalism classroom with a mish-mash of rules and notions and a pocketful of defeat. I strongly believe that special needs students must come up to speed to succeed in the real world. To achieve these goals, I consistently ask my students to do what is hardest for them. I believe that all students want to succeed, want to be useful, and want to please their teachers and parents. I am convinced that all students can learn more than they think they can, and that learning is best achieved when the pressure is low, expectations are high, and the jokes are frequent."

-- Gail

"Gail has a distinguished professional history as an educator, a special educator in particular. She has worked for a number of years with students who struggle to read and to write. The success that students experience in her classes is second to none. Evidence of this success has been through the testimonies from her students who have graduated, gone on to college, and come back to say "thank you" to Gail for pushing them to do what they thought they couldn't do."

-- Bruce Brownlow, principal of the Upper School

"Children are like puzzles in scattered pieces and as parents, we cannot help them fit all their pieces together without substantial support. Gail painstakingly helped reshape our son, piece by piece with the patience of a saint. She gives of herself and imparts to her students not just knowledge but a belief that you can accomplish what you want and if, at times you don't believe - Gail is there to believe for you."

-- Joyce and Howard Kaplan, parents of a current student

Gail helps students realize that they - more than parents or teachers - have the power for their own success. She empowers each student by expecting him/her to be a problem-solver and an active participant in his own education. Students help to plan for and create their own learning environment by choosing materials; by negotiating in advance for more time if they need it; by regularly evaluating the difficulty of their assignments and then speaking up about it; and by helping to decide on grading criteria. Each student must ask a question about every assignment, and often students' suggestions are incorporated into the assignment, while those with low verbal comprehension get clearer information. Students log any excuses they may have for missing a deadline, so that they can track their own patterns, and strategize measures to tighten up. Each student is her only student, and each class is her only class. High energy, high expectations, and plenty of good humor produce student success.

Other Highlights:

  • M.Ed. in Special Education - North Georgia College and State University
  • B.A. English - Syracuse University, Burrstone Campus
  • Ten years in Broadcast Journalism in Atlanta, GA; New Haven, CT; and Worcester, MA
  • Published twice in a national women's magazine