When asked about one of her most defining moments as an educator, Miss Noreen Miura recalls the day when one of her kindergarten children asked her if she was rich. Not quite sure what she meant, she explained that no, she wasn't rich. "Then why do you have so many books?" the child replied. Miss Miura was flattered that the child equated wealth with the number of books she owned. Of course, this is a high compliment for someone who has devoted 34 years to instilling the value of literacy in children. It’s also what makes Miss Miura a Hero in Education.
By one young kindergartner’s standards, Miss Miura is, indeed, rich—she owns about 3,000 children’s books, many of which her students enjoy listening to her read, or are available for them to read themselves. Those many books come in handy for the combined Kindergarten/first grade class Miss Miura teaches at Susan B. Anthony Elementary School in the Garden Grove Unified School District. She coordinates two entire curriculums for two grade levels, which include reading, language arts, writing, math, science, social studies, health, ELD (English Language Development), and physical education. Depending on the school year, she also teaches a combined first and second grade class.
Miss Miura chose to become an educator for several reasons. Her family and friends thought she worked well with children and that she would enjoy teaching. She was also inspired by several excellent teachers she had as a student in the Garden Grove Unified School District. But perhaps the most compelling reason she chose her career was the example set by a very honorable first grade teacher who safeguarded her grandparents' property for them when her father’s family was forced to evacuate from California during World War II. “My family was very lucky because in some instances families lost everything they had during the evacuation,” she explains.
In addition to teaching, Miss Miura attends many conferences to expand her own knowledge as well as to share it. She has presented in front of hundreds of teachers at the California Kindergarten Conference, the Southern California Kindergarten Conference, and the Early Childhood Curriculum Conference. She also participated in a mentor program for Kindergarten teachers, through which she created innovative lesson materials combining math and reading to assist teachers in implementing California State math standards. “Lots of fun activities to introduce kindergarten children to the world of numerals and number concepts,” she recalls. She fondly remembers one instance when a teacher who, despite having a cold, came to one of her presentations because she enjoyed them so much and didn’t want to miss it.
According to her colleague Abby Hansen, a fellow Susan B. Anthony Elementary School educator, it is Miss Miura’s gift for creating learning concepts and programs that is part of what makes her so special. “She comes up with wonderful ideas about how to get the kids to learn. If they don’t get a concept one way, she’ll think of another way—she might come up with five ideas if necessary,” says Abby. “She will just do anything to get these kids to learn. She buys extra books for the kids out of her own pocket.”
Given her love for literacy, it may not be surprising that Miss Miura is a self-professed “book-a-holic.” She typically reads over 200 adult books per year, mostly mystery novels. While on vacation in England last year, a friend introduced her to a series of books from Australia. She read the first small print, 700-page-long book in the series in just one day. She also enjoys finding books that she thinks would be of special interest to her students.
Finding new programs that will help children to read is another of Miss Miura’s passions. This year, she was awarded a grant from the Education Foundation (developed by SchoolsFirst FCU and the Orange County Department of Education) to implement the Scholastic Reading Counts program in her classroom. The program engages children to read books independently, and then tests their reading comprehension skills through multiple choice quizzes on the computer. Although she has only one computer in her classroom, Miss Miura already has lines of children waiting to take the quizzes. Several children are advancing quickly, even though the program just started. Miss Miura plans to apply for an Education Foundation grant in 2005 as well, either alone or in combination with either a first grade or kindergarten teacher.
Despite the challenges of teaching two grade levels, speaking at conferences, implementing a new learning program, and still finding time for her personal reading, Miss Miura is also her school's representative to the Garden Grove Education Association representative council, and a member of Alpha Delta Kappa (an honorary teachers' sorority) and the California Kindergarten Association. This high level of activity comes as no surprise to another of Miss Miura’s colleagues, Laurel Wilkerson. “She puts in endless hours outside of school, preparing materials for both her students as well as for other teachers,” she says. “She’s always wanting to learn so she can do a better job for the children. She will do anything for them.”
Miss Miura says that if she could do anything for a day, it would be sitting in the shade of a palm tree in Hawaii with the latest mystery novel she’s reading. Although, for an educator whose life’s work and passion is helping children learn, her day-to-day life doesn’t seem far from paradise. “My greatest joy is seeing how much children are able to learn in one year, and the differences I can make in helping them to achieve their greatest abilities,” she explains. “I particularly enjoy seeing children learn the skills and concepts that I am trying to teach them and the joyous wonder in their eyes and faces when they begin to understand,” she says.
It is because of the joyous wonder that Miss Miura has inspired in so many children that we are honored to call her our Hero in Education.
