MUSCATINE, Iowa — Muscatine teacher Andrea Stewart likes to push the envelope when it comes to educating her class, looking outside the male-dominated, Eurocentric status quo to educate her students.

If the Iowa Department of Education is any indicator of success, it looks like she’s broken through that envelope.

The Muscatine High School teacher was one of five finalists nominated for Iowa’s 2010 Teacher of the Year.

Sarah Brown Wessling of Johnston High School received the award Oct. 9, but Stewart said being part of the ceremony was still a memorable and rewarding event.

For the past four years, Stewart, has led her woman’s literature class in raising more than $10,000 for Family Resources Inc. domestic violence shelter.

She developed the woman’s literature class in 2004 because she wanted to inspire new generations to think critically about the way women are perceived and portrayed in modern society.

Putting students in touch with the talent and insight that women have invested in their literary work helps Stewart in her mission.

She places that same emphasis on educating students about other cultures, minorities and races and encourages students to evaluate their own preconceptions.

— Cynthia Beaudette

of the Muscatine Journal

Personal

Name: Andrea Stewart

Hometown: Muscatine

Age: 33

Occupation: Muscatine High School English teacher since 1999.

Family: Husband, Matt Stewart; daughter, Kate, 7, and son Cael, 4.

Q&A

What was your reaction to being nominated for Teacher of the Year?

I was surprised, it was an honor and it was a rewarding experience.

What qualified you?

 The nomination is based on a person who thinks outside the box and has a passion for education and a commitment to students. I try to include new techniques, push the envelope and be innovative. 

Your classes include literature that describes the experiences of people from various cultures, races and socioeconomic groups. Why is this an important part of education?

When we understand the humanity of our global community, we find some of ourselves reflected in other cultures. In class, the students have conversations about cultural and ethnic prejudices and hash over these stereotypes. I’m so excited to watch when students come to these conclusions on their own because they’re going to be part of our communities.

What obstacles does our society face in encouraging students to understand more about other cultures, religions, races and the opposite sex?

So many times, we teach from the literary works of dead white males rather than people of color and women. If we keep showing students the things we’ve always shown them and don’t expand the boundaries or push the status quo, they will have a Eurocentric view. Literature can be one way of helping all students see society and their own lives differently.

Who are some of  the authors whose works are used in your classes?

Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Willa Cather, Langston Hughes, Julia Alvarez, Ernest Hemingway,

Tim O’Brien and Emily Bronte.

Can you recommend an enlightening book?

“A Thousand Splendid Suns,” by Afghan author Khaled Hosseini, who came to the United States in 1980. It gives you a beautiful picture of Afghanistan going through changes over the years. I challenge students to look at war through a world-view perspective. It breaks their hearts when they read this and realize there are people they were taught to see as enemies who are suffering just as much, if not more so than anyone else.

How did you inspire the students in your woman’s literature class to raise money for the domestic violence shelter in Muscatine?

 I invited a staff member from the shelter to come to my class and talk about the shelter.  I also gave the students statistics on violence against women in the United States. I watched those kids’ eyes open when they heard it was happening right here in Muscatine. Over the years, my classes have designed

T-shirts to sell and worked in area restaurants during fundraising nights.

What else motivates you as you select literature for your students?

I am an advocate for students from low socioeconomic households and minority students.

What are some of your students reading now?

“In the Lake of the Woods,” by Tim O’Brien. The flies in the book, “The Lord of Flies,” is helping the student interpret the flies in this O’Brien novel. We’re trying to make links across classes.