1991 ISU GRADUATE
NAMED INDIANA'S TOP TEACHER

By MARIA GRENINGER

Two years ago, James Jones didn’t know the letters of the alphabet by sight — nor did he know their sounds.

Now in the third grade, he can read at a first-grade level and often surprises his aunt with a new vocabulary word each day.

"I can’t say enough about her. She’s a special person in our lives," said Ruby Keaton of Kurran Strunk, Indiana’s 2001 Teacher of the Year.  Keaton is Jones’ aunt and legal guardian and has been since her sister died of lung cancer two years ago.

"When I first met her, I knew she was the one. It was so plain and simple," Keaton said. "Once she started working with Jamie, he started comprehending. Things were slow but sure. Now, everyday he comes home with a new word he can spell — and he understands."

"This is a teacher who is an achiever because she is a believer," said Suellen Reed, Indiana’s superintendent of public instruction upon presenting Kurran with the award. "She believes in her students, and they know she believes in them."

Kurran, a 1991 graduate of ISU, has taught special education at Muessel Elementary in South Bend since 1993. She was selected out of a field of 54 nominees which was narrowed to 10 finalists. She represents the state’s 60,000 public school teachers and many more in private schools. She will represent the state of Indiana and Indiana State University next spring in the national Teacher of the Year competition in Washington, D.C.

As a child, Kurran attended a Catholic grade school in Mishawaka and knew by the time she was in third grade that she wanted to be the first female president of the United States. By the time the next year rolled around, her vision of the future had changed to what she said was an even loftier goal — to be a special education teacher.

"Life’s everyday challenges were so important to them," Kurran said. "Something as small as holding a spoon was an incredible accomplishment . . . or reading. The power and glory of the presidency were soon overshadowed by the excitement and rewards of teaching students in special education."

Kurran’s husband, Bill, is also a graduate of Indiana State (1990) in special education, and he supports Kurran’s tireless efforts to reach out to her students.

"She has the ‘Whatever it takes’ motto," Bill said. "She will do whatever it takes to reach a kid, and there is no kid that she feels she can’t reach."

On that, Kurran and Bill agree.

"I’m going to do whatever it takes to get a child to succeed, and it may not be that they’re going to succeed on the same day as other students," Kurran said. "It may take us a couple of years. But they’re going to meet that goal because that student and I worked together."

If fact, sometimes Kurran will try some unique teaching methods and work one-on-one to match each student’s learning style.

"I try to do a lot through multiple intelligences, through tactile learning, body movement, singing, dancing and lots of other things," Kurran said. "I try to do anything that a child needs to learn. I’m not a stand-at-the-front-of-the-class-and-lecture teacher. Students are gathered around my feet or we’re on the floor working."

One example of her persistence and creativity goes back to the day she realized her students were having trouble remembering the months of the year. In response, she wrote and choreographed the "Months of the Year Dance," and within three days, her students had the routine down pat.

"I noticed a couple of the girls boogying as they lined up for recess and asked them if they liked to dance," Kurran explained. "When they said ‘yes,’ I tried to use that as a way to help them learn."

Not all of Kurran’s teaching is done in the classroom.

For instance, Kurran coaches Muessel’s cheerleading squad, and last year, when the school was without a gym because of new construction, Kurran still found a way for the cheerleaders to practice.

"Since we didn’t have a place to cheer, Kurran took the cheerleaders over to the Logan Center (a place for special needs kids in South Bend), and they cheered for their athletic events," said Muessel’s Principal Carol Levee. "She keeps the needs of the community in mind at all times. She’s certainly deserving of this honor, and I’m pleased that the committee saw these qualities in her."

Nominated by former South Bend Superintendent Virginia Calvin, Kurran was described as "one of those special individuals who truly are called to teach." Calvin said that during her 28 years she had seen many outstanding teachers, "but few could match Mrs. Strunk in patience, kindness, love for her students, enthusiasm, creativity and dedication to the teaching profession."

Much of that dedication and love for teaching was ignited in the classrooms at Indiana State. Kurran will be the first to tell you how valuable her ISU experiences were to her career and success as a teacher.

"We were in the classrooms immediately," said Kurran of her student-teaching experience. "I know for a fact that at other universities students often don’t get out into classrooms until their sophomore or junior years. We were pushed out immediately, and I’m thankful for that.

"I tell everybody about Indiana State and how lucky I feel that I went there," Kurran said. "I was able to be involved in some things that maybe I wouldn’t have if I were at IU or Purdue, and I feel very fortunate."

Kurran’s professors at Indiana State feel fortunate as well — fortunate to have taught her and fortunate to have known her.

"It doesn’t surprise me at all that Kurran has received this honor," said Maurice Miller, professor of special education at ISU and one of Kurran’s instructors during her college years. "She’s one of our stellar performers. It says a lot about the department, but it also says a lot about the selection committee. It’s not every day that someone from a non-traditional classroom is selected as teacher of the year."

Doris Williams also remembers Kurran’s caring personality.

"I remember her as someone who always went the extra mile and consistently exceeded expectations," said the associate professor of special education.

"I was pleased for Kurran when I found out that she had received this honor, but I was mostly pleased for the kids who get to work with her," Williams said. "I’m honored to know her and to be a part of her past, but her children are especially lucky to be a part of her class."

 November 15, 2000