Shepton Humanities & English Teacher Honored by Texas Exes

January 29, 2010

Craig McKinney, Humanities and English teacher at Shepton High School, is one of 10 high school and two elementary school teachers selected from among nominees across the state for a "Texas Exes Award for Outstanding Teaching."

This recognition comes on the heels of numerous awards that Craig, a 1987 graduate of Plano Senior High School and teacher at Shepton High School since 1993, has earned during his distinguished career as an educator. Among his many achievements are being selected as a Texas Teacher of the Year Finalist in 1997 and Outstanding Humanities Teacher Award winner in 2008-09.

For his distinguished service to education, Craig will be honored by President Bill Powers of the University of Texas during the Conference on Excellence in Education awards ceremony on February 12 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on the UT campus."Craig's learning goals may sound typical -- effective writing, thoughtful reading -- but his students would surely tell you that their experiences are far from typical," said Lisa Thibodeaux, Plano ISD secondary English/language arts curriculum coordinator. "In Craig's class, students learn to read the world, to make connections, and to insightfully consider and question."

Kristin Anderson, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) district coordinator, said of Craig that, "he demonstrates dedication through his work with the AVID program, serving as a part of the AVID team at Shepton, attending the AVID leadership retreat with students, and training teachers on AVID strategies." Each week, Craig creates the "Wednesday WICR" (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, and Reading), a detailed e-mail message for all district AVID coordinators with ideas for creatively incorporating WICR strategies into classrooms. All teachers ultimately benefit from these e-mailed ideas.

Digest: What motivates you most about teaching English and Humanities?

Craig: I have the world's best job because I get to spend my days opening young people's eyes to the exciting, challenging, enriching world of the humanities .Whether we're exploring the philosophical depths of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," chipping away at Michelangelo's sculpting techniques or marveling at the architectural whimsy of Frank Gehry, I gain extreme satisfaction from seeing teenagers' eyes light up as they begin to appreciate something beyond the realm of their comfortable pop-culture and technology-centered lives.

Digest: What is your philosophy of teaching humanities?

In my fourteen years as a co-teacher of Humanities I and II, our school's core course for gifted and talented freshmen and sophomores, I have developed a multi-pronged philosophy regarding the humanities and their place in the high school curriculum. This philosophy is grounded in five core belief statements:

1. Everyone needs the humanities.
2. The humanities help us understand yesterday and today.
3. The humanities are a vehicle for teaching more than content.
4. The humanities can be fun.
5. An education in the humanities opens the door to a lifetime of enjoyment.

Digest: How do you use the humanities course to teach more than content?

Craig: In my class, we use the humanities as a springboard for learning how to study, developing effective note-taking skills, building creativity, improving writing and thinking critically. Through debate, discussion, creative and analytical writing, artistic production, performance and journaling, my students become better all-around learners who are equipped for the challenges school and life will throw at them in the future.

Digest: What makes your teaching style fun for students?

Craig: Who says school has to be boring and routine? I like to keep my class unpredictable and student-centered. One day, we may be reinforcing our knowledge of Greek architecture by staging a fashion show where students dress one another up as Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns, and the next we may be writing and performing our own Greek-style tragedies, complete with masks and costumes.

We deepen our understanding of art by improvising interviews with famous Neoclassical and Rococo artists and by competing in the March Madness Art Competition, where teams challenge one another in tournament-style play to compose insightful analyses of medieval artworks in 25 words or fewer.

Even a potentially dry subject can be made interesting by injecting a little creativity and humor into a lesson. The Sparta vs. Athens pep rally, “Extreme Makeover: Renaissance Edition," where students give our classroom a makeover in the styles of a Renaissance artist, and Salon Day, when students adopt the personae of Enlightenment philosophers and engage in lively discussion, keep the students laughing while they're thinking and learning.

Digest: What is your primary goal as an educator?

Craig: I want to make my students lifelong connoisseurs of the arts. By participating in required Humanities Arts Experiences during their two years in my program and by learning to appreciate all aspects of the humanities, my students develop the habits of arts patrons.

Nothing delights me more than receiving a letter from a former student detailing his summer trip to Europe where he impressed (and perhaps annoyed) his family with his ability to point out the architectural features of every Gothic cathedral he visited or an e-mail from a high school senior who was frustrated at not being able to spend more time in the Metropolitan Museum of Art on her spring break visit to New York.

When students see that visiting an art exhibit or attending the ballet or theatre is a viable alternative to the Saturday night at the movie multiplex they're used to, they begin to become people whose quality of life will forever be altered by exposure to the humanities.

With a classroom full of eager, bright young minds and hearts to inspire, I have an exciting opportunity each year. I hope that my efforts contribute to making the humanities as important to the lives of others as they are to mine.

About Craig

Education

• Plano Senior High School graduate - 1987
• Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas - Bachelor of Arts, English and Sociology, 1987-1991
• University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Teaching Certification, Secondary English, 1992-1993
• University of North Texas, Master's Degree in Secondary Education / Gifted/Talented Endorsement, 1994-1997

Employment

• Shepton High School - 1993-present
  • Instructional Roles:
    Honors English I, English I - 1993-present
    Humanities I and II - 1994-present
    English I Team Leader - 2005-present
    Latin I - 1996-1997
• Summer Institute for Gifted Students - Summer school humanities enrichment for students entering grades 6-9, 1995-1997

Professional Activities

• Plano ISD English I Curriculum Writing Team
• Plano ISD Secondary PACE (G/T) Advisory Committee
• National Council of Teachers of English
• Texas Council of Teacher of English Language Arts
• Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented
• Association of Texas Professional Educators
• Shepton AVID Site Team
• English Curriculum and Differentiation Trainer (Plano ISD)

Community Activities

• Southwestern University
  Alumni Assembly Delegate
  Annual Giving Board Member
  Class of 1991 Class Agent
  Dallas Association of Southwestern University Alumni Executive Board Member

Awards and Honors

• Plano PTSA Lifetime Membership Award - 2007
• "Live from Plano" (Charity Fund-Raiser) Best Performance, Best Ensemble - 2001
• Plano ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year - 1997
• Region 10 Teacher of the Year- Secondary - 1997
• Texas Teacher of the Year Finalist - 1997
• Young Alumnus Achievement Award, Southwestern University - 1996
• Plano Youth Volunteer of the Year - 1987