Herb Kohl honored Washington Island kindergarten teacher and reading specialist Margaret Foss for her teaching excellence. She was among 100 Wisconsin teachers so honored.

Margaret Foss, Washington Island School’s kindergarten teacher and reading specialist, has been selected as a 2011 Kohl Fellowship recipient. Both Foss and the Island School will receive $1,000 grants. Kohl Fellowships are awarded each year to one hundred Wisconsin teachers. According to the Kohl Foundation, “Educators are chosen for their superior ability to inspire a love of learning in their students and ability to motivate others, and for their leadership and service within and outside the classroom.”

The educator nomination process begins within each public school district, followed by a very thorough selection process. Margaret was nominated by Karen Huff, part of the Island school’s interim administration team. According to Karen, she “nominated Margaret because she demonstrates high standards of skillful teaching and exemplary leadership by thoughtfully initiating successful new programs involving colleagues, administrators and parents. Considering our remote rural setting, Margaret has sought innovative ways to further her professional development and share her teaching and learning expertise with others.”

Once she was nominated, Foss had to submit an extensive application along with letters of recommendation. Those were then evaluated by the immediate CESA 7 District, followed by a regional committee, and finally a state-level committee made up of business leaders, community leaders and educators, who selected the final one hundred.

Doug Straus, Interim Administrator praises Margaret, saying, “I think this is really a compliment to the community and to Washington Island School in that it really recognizes Margaret’s accomplishments in elementary instruction and teacher professional development. Margaret has been instrumental in working with the elementary school team, helping to provide changes across the K-8 curriculum in terms of the emphasis on and approach to reading. Her work and expertise are helping to improve the reading skills and habits of our students, so that reading becomes an important part of their academic growth and their daily life in general.”

This school year, according to Foss, she has been “piloting the use of two nationally heralded literacy systems for our district; The Daily Five and Cafe” and it’s been her responsibility to “initiate, lead, and mentor our elementary staff toward the full implementation of these systems.”

In addition to serving on the W.I. Preschool Board and the W.I. Community Center Committee, Foss has also been facilitating a “Nurturing Program for Parents,” a curriculum-based parenting series, through the W.I. Family Center. An extension of this program is a Parent Roundtable Discussion series “where parents and teachers will meet to communicate regarding a variety of pertinent school-related topics,” says Foss, whose hope for the program is that “we can garner greater partnership and parent involvement in our school, knowing that student achievement can be greatly enhanced by this connection and communication.”

Foss says she is “very encouraged by the national trends regarding differentiated instruction and response to intervention.” She says that “now, rather than isolating and separating out ‘special needs’ students, we are looking at every student individually and considering the special needs of all students.”

Those who know Foss personally, the staff who work with her daily, and the parents whose children she teaches all seem to be in agreement: this is a woman whose love of children and passion for teaching has enriched all their lives, and the life of the community in general.

Together, they join the Herb Kohl Foundation’s program co-sponsors (WI Dept. of Public Instruction, WI Council of Religious and Independent Schools, WI Cooperative Educational Service Agencies, and WI Newspaper Association) in telling Island teacher Margaret Foss “we are delighted to be recognizing your outstanding accomplishments.”

—by Lori Goodwin

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