LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. — Danya Sundh welcomed her third graders into the light blue, nautical-themed classroom. As the Rockland Elementary School students stripped off their snow gear and settled at their dry-erase desktops, some sang along to the Imagine Dragons song playing through the large smart board at the front of the room.
Sundh was hired to work with special education students at Rockland, one of four District 70 elementary schools in Libertyville, Illinois. She graduated from IU in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special education through the Teaching All Learners program in the School of Education.
“I find it so rewarding to find different ways to reach kids and help them understand our world,” Sundh said. “The more that I can be involved in that process, the more exciting it is for me.”
From the cozy library at the back of the room to the family-style area in the front corner, Sundh has transformed her classroom into a home for many of her students at Rockland.
“I’m on top of the world, ‘ey,” her students sang while getting started on their morning work.
Libertyville is a northern suburb of Chicago about 45 minutes outside the city. Growing up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a suburb about 20 minutes from Libertyville, Sundh said she knew she wanted to be a teacher from a very young age. She said she loves learning, and reaching out to others to help them learn has always been appealing to her.
“It’s nice when what you do on a daily basis is what you want to be doing, rather than what you have to be doing,” she said.
After a couple of years as a special education resource teacher, Sundh and the director of special education created a district-wide elementary instructional program, called EIP. The program brought students of all different needs and ages into a Rockland classroom taught by Sundh.
“Even though they were from all over the place, Danya makes it feel like home for those kids and those parents,” Rockland principal Jeff Knapp said.
When Sundh’s most recent EIP students graduated from fifth grade at Rockland to the local middle school at the end of last year, the program was moved out of Rockland and into a different elementary school. However, instead of following the program to the other school, Sundh chose to stay at Rockland because of her love for the school and desire to try to new things.
Sundh said Rockland provides students and staff with a sense of community the moment they walk through the doors. She takes an active role in the school as a part of the school’s student council, the positive behavior committee and other committees.
The Rockland value of reaching out to each and every student to meet their needs mirrored what she learned in the TAL program at IU, she said.
“If you don’t know what to do, she’ll find easier ways to do it,” current student Lucas, 8, said.
Sundh said the TAL program emphasized each student has their own story and teachers should guide their instruction based on their stories and needs. Sundh incorporates this standard from TAL and Rockland’s values of character, community and grit into her third grade classroom everyday.
In her classroom, Sundh uses different games, activities, rotations and learning exercises created based on students’ needs and progress levels.
“She teaches you in a fun way, so it’s not always boring,” Kate, 8, said.
While helping students hit the academic goals for the day, she engages with the students to learn more about them as individuals. In just one day, students brought her all sorts of stories from home, with topics ranging from bugs to kickball games.
Chloe, 8, agreed with Kate. Sundh was even able to make tests fun by putting smiley faces where their names go and encouraging them throughout the test.
Sundh encourages each student to do their best and not give up when the problems get hard. A bulletin board in the classroom has the word “grit” with pictures of each student and different motivations for the class to keep working towards their goals.
“‘Can’t’ isn’t allowed in the classroom unless you say ‘I can’t not do something’ because she says two negatives make a positive,” 9-year-old Caroline said.
Sundh said working with students and keeping up with the connections she has created is fulfilling. To her, teaching is not a job but a passion, and she enjoys getting to do something that she loves every day. She was named a 2012 Teacher of Distinction by Golden Apple, a non-profit organization that recognizes outstanding teachers in Illinois.
She said the diverse Bloomington community has helped her reach out to the different groups of students she has encountered in her time at Rockland. Her special education background has allowed her to connect with students by bringing different tools and communication techniques into her third grade classroom, as well as teaching them how to do the IU arm motions.
“It’s not just content, skills, standards that Danya is referencing,” Knapp said. “She is working with the students a ton on the bigger picture of where do we want these kids to be successful in life: to be successful as a middle school student, in high school, college and beyond.”
