Lukancic Teacher Helps RHS Student 'Find' Herself

sophomore Gabrielle Habeeb has a whole new approach to life and she credits language arts teacher Christy Rush-Levine with having a lot to do with it.

Habeeb, whose transformation was documented in an article she wrote for the March issue of an English teachers’ publication called Voices from the Middle, readily admits that “more than anything else,” Rush-Levine’s teaching “changed the way I view a lot of things and the way I approach my daily life.”

“So many people are concerned about what you want to do when you grow up. I am more concerned about who I want to be,” Habeeb wrote in the article. “I would never have found this part of myself if it hadn’t been for teachers who dare me to look. I think everyone needs a teacher like that at least once.”

Rush-Levine, who is in her 11th year of teaching language arts in Valley View School District 365U, describes her approach as “authenticated reading.” It’s based on theories put forth by In The Middle author Nancie Atwell that she first learned about from an “awesome” language arts teacher during her undergrad studies at National-Louis University.

“Students have to be engaged in meaningful reading and writing experiences to grow as readers and writers,” said Rush-Levine who had Habeeb in both her seventh- and eighth-grade language arts classes.

That means, Gabrielle said, “we were encouraged to do things we liked as opposed to being asked to read these three things and do book reports. It wasn’t rigid. I think what helped most was Mrs. Rush-Levine got to know you and what you liked so she could suggest books. That really helped.”

The learning came through both individual and group experiences.

“We had shared readings and that helped with our writing,” Habeeb recalled. “We would read a poem and then write something in the same style. The more you mimic great works, the more you understand why they’re written so you can start creating your own things that have more meaning to you.”

In the Voices From The Middle article, Habeeb admits she was concerned about the transition from middle school to high school because it’s tough to cope “while maintaining any semblance of sanity.”

But Habeeb, who Rush-Levine calls “confident” and “a writer from the start,” quickly found out she had nothing to worry about.

“I do read more books outside of school now. I go a lot further in reading  than we need to in English class,” she said. “And I get more out of the books we read in English class.

“The most painful way to read a book is to have pages assigned every night and be forced to analyze and over analyze,” she continued, adding her advice to future high schoolers is to “enjoy what you read and you’ll retain more.”

“When I hear from students like Gabby about what they learned in my class, there’s nothing more rewarding,” said Rush-Levine. “I teach so they become lifelong readers and writers.”