6/9/2021
Education and Outreach
This past school year, teacher Christine Mecham went on great adventures.
She traveled to Germany, Hawaii, Mexico and Disney World. She went to the moon, the jungle and far-off islands. She attended over 50 birthday parties and learned to play numerous video games.
To be exact, a cardboard cutout of Mecham did all of these things — after she sent each of her 100 sixth-grade students handwritten letters with a cardboard picture of herself included.
Throughout the year, Mecham invited students to take their cardboard teacher on adventures — both real and fictional — and write about them. Her students eagerly embraced this inspiration.
“When our schools first closed last March (for distance learning), I committed to connect with 100 percent of my 100-plus students each week,” says Mecham, an English Language Arts teacher with Lied STEM Academy. “My students, excited to receive (my letters) addressed to them, logged on each day to check in and connect.”
A teacher since 1992, Mecham finds many unorthodox ways to inspire and engage her students, some even impacting people around the world.
To honor her efforts, The Smith Center named Mecham one of the top 20 teachers of its sixth-annual Heart of Education Awards honoring outstanding Clark County School District (CCSD) educators. Thanks to support from The Rogers Foundation, each honoree received a $5,000 cash award, a medallion and a $1,000 donation to their schools.
“It is a humbling experience,” Mecham says. “Most teachers go over and above, doing all they can to make school and learning engaging for their kids. It feels great to be recognized for my efforts and I am glad to be counted among the good ones.”
From Books to the Real World
When Mecham’s students enjoy a book in her class, she finds a way to make it real.
This includes introducing her students to opportunities they might not otherwise have.
When her students read a book about children in Africa and their need for clean water, she initiated a school fundraiser supporting nonprofit WHOlives and its development of human-powered water wells.
“I have found kids in grades six, seven and eight have a huge capacity for service learning,” she explains. “If we give students at this age the opportunity to serve, they always step up and never disappoint.”
To engage students’ interest during the lockdown of the pandemic, Mecham recorded herself on YouTube reading a book from a series by Gennifer Choldenko that her students loved.
To take the experience another step, Mecham organized a Google Meet between her students and the award-winning author to discuss her books and the writing process.
“The kids were so delighted to meet her. They enjoyed her witty personality and her honest answers,” Mecham says. “It was very rewarding for me as a teacher, because I always tell students the work of writing is in the revising. Gennifer confirmed that position, and added that the research of writing is also important. She said, ‘You can't write what you don't know.’”
A New Teaching Opportunity
Even with retirement age approaching, Mecham says, she doesn’t plan to slow down.
Instead, she will soon transition to working as a special education teacher, following her years of working with special-education students in her classroom.
“I see the remarkable efforts made by these kids and their families, and just wanted to be part of that,” she says.
She further teaches aspiring reading specialists through a joint program between the Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“My father used to say, ‘Find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.’ I didn't realize until I was an adult how true this was,” Mecham says. “I love my job and am grateful for every minute I have spent engaged in this noble work.”