Ellen O’Malley McGee is a proud product of the Ann Arbor Public Schools. She attended Burns Park Elementary, Slauson Middle School and Pioneer. After graduating, McGee went to Washtenaw Community College and earned a degree in graphic design, which she used to help finance her BA in elementary ed from EMU and later an MA from Marygrove College.
McGee had always dreamed of being a teacher but struggled in school, so she thought it was out of reach. It wasn’t until WCC that she found success and began to realize becoming a teacher was something attainable.
McGee’s third-grade teacher at Burns Park, Mary DeVries, was her favorite teacher and has channeled DeVries throughout her career. She feels fortunate that she was able to tell DeVries how much she influenced and helped her both before and after she became a teacher. Having her mentor proud of her was an incredible gift. One of the ways she honors Mary DeVires is McGee tells her kids how proud she is of them, and that they should be proud of themselves as well. She believes that as a society, we don’t say things to one another enough: I love you. I’m proud of you. I care about your future. I believe in you. These are things we all need to hear, so she says them to her kids as much as she can.
McGee says she is proud to be from Ann Arbor and appreciates living in the community where she grew up and that her connections made over the last five decades mean so much to her and demonstrate daily how small the world is. She says that her myriad of lifetime connections have intertwined in countless ways in the many jobs she’s had in Ann Arbor and AAPS. In addition to the 28-plus years she’s worked as a classroom teacher, she’s worked in the childcare program, as a computer lab teacher, and as a long-term sub.
McGee lives on the west side with her husband Doogie, and dogs Stella and Mabel.
Thurston Principal Cory McElmeel says McGee’s classroom is “an absolute joy.”
“She builds a family of learners who openly take risks and support each other in their individual times of need,” he says. “Ellen provides intentional experiences for students to build teamwork and collaborative skills. She and her students share their learning with their homes in meaningful and fun ways. Her passion for the profession and her care for her kids lead her students to strive to be the best fifth graders around.”
What changes in education have you found most significant over your decades of teaching at
AAPS?
The changes in education have been immeasurable! I love this job tremendously, but in the last five to 10 years, things have begun to change a lot. Teachers face a lot of negative energy, both about our abilities and our greediness, along with an impossible workload, and our pay hasn’t kept pace. The curriculum always changes, so that’s not new or unusual. The pandemic has thrown us all for a bit of a loop. I used to say “Well, the one thing I know, as a teacher, I won’t ever be able to work from home. Can you imagine 25 fourth graders in my living room!?” And then, BAM! I’m teaching fourth grade in my living room. No one saw that coming. There are so many issues that COVID-19 created, and educators will be dealing with those things for decades to come.
How do you maintain students’ engagement with traditional subjects like math and reading in
today’s technology-driven world?
I think it’s really important for kids to understand the why of what we do, and how it will make
a difference as they get older. I do my best to use updated materials, find interesting facts
about the curriculum I teach, and use creative ways for kids to show what they’ve learned. I have spent a lot of time and money creating a library rich in diverse and culturally relevant books. If kids can’t find a book they want to read, why would they ever sit down and read on their own? Last year, I created a unit about graphic novels – which was as much for parents as it was for kids. For parents, it helped them to understand how rich, interesting, and beneficial graphic novels really are, while showing students how to read the illustrations as much as the text. It has made such a difference in the way my kids interact and discuss graphic novels.
Something else a parent once said to me helped me understand myself as a teacher, and I think it’s helped with engagement. He asked if there was something I wish I had done, but hadn’t. I said I had always wanted to be on Saturday Night Live. He paused, and said, “Isn’t that what you do, though?” I was confused, so he continued: “You do a million skits every week. You entertain. And your audience loves you. They listen to you, laugh, and, as it turns out, learn.” Truer words, right? He was right. It’s exactly what I do.
Could you share a teaching technique or classroom tradition you’ve developed over the years
that has proven particularly successful with your fifth graders?
My motto has always been “Once my kid, always my kid.” and my kids, years and years later, know I mean it. The relationships I create in 180 days are incredibly important to me, and I hope to keep connected with as many kids as I can. Hearing from my kids is one of the single best parts of my job. I’m also a storyteller. I often start a lesson with a story. It’s my hook. They listen to the story, and before they realize it, I’ve transitioned us into math, social studies, or writing. They never see it coming. Stories are an important ingredient for relationships too. Telling one another about our lives via stories is how we get to know one another.
What do you like about working at AAPS, and at Thurston in particular?
I have enjoyed every school I’ve been fortunate to work in. The two schools I’ve spent the most time in are Haisley and Thurston. I spent 25 incredible years at Haisley and am so grateful to have had such amazing students, peers, and parents to work with. I made some of my best friends while working at Haisley and I can’t imagine my life without any of them. Twenty-five years of memories is a wonderful thing to take with me to Thurston. Thurston has offered me the chance to work with a new group of amazing peers, to teach international students, and to fall in love with a new school, full of traditions and 530 fabulous new kids.
How do you prepare your students for the transition to middle school while ensuring they still enjoy their final year of elementary school?
Fifth grade is such a fun grade to teach! I love that they are able to do more on their own, but are still realllllly little kids at heart. They are learning to do things more independently, solve problems alone and with their peers, and maneuver their way through the beginning of puberty. It’s a lot, and I love every minute of it. What I didn’t see coming? Not getting a chance to see them walking the halls the following year! I taught 3rd and 4th the majority of my career and goodbyes were tough, but I knew I’d be able to see them next year, so it wasn’t as hard. My fifth graders were just…gone. It was soul-crushing. I’m grateful they come and visit me, though. An advantage of having Clague so close to Thurston!
How has your approach to classroom management evolved since you first started teaching?
I am not sure my approach to classroom management has changed much. Relationships, honesty, and humor have always been at the core of my teaching. When kids know you bring those things to the table, they learn to do so as well. When kids love and trust you, knowing you have their backs, classroom management gets a lot easier. I own my mistakes, and always have.
That doesn’t seem like a big deal, but you’d be surprised how many adults don’t, especially when it comes to kids. When adults can admit fault, and apologize for things they’ve done wrong, kids
notice, and relationships are formed.
What role has mentoring newer teachers played in your career, and what key wisdom do you
share with them?
I enjoy the mentoring process a lot and have loved helping student teachers and new teachers a great deal. They always teach me a lot too, and there’s something really beneficial about saying things about your job out loud. You don’t realize how much is going on until you have to explain it to someone. I have a mentee right now, in her first year of teaching, and I find myself saying the same few things to her: You can’t teach a child in crisis, so foster those relationships (a theme in my answers, it seems), and give yourself grace. It won’t all get done, and that’s okay. We meet every week and talk through our week, what we’re doing, what we’re not doing, and spend a lot of time figuring out the best way to deliver the curriculum. Quality time spent on planning is important. Once again, it’s all about balance. She’s amazing, and I love watching her with her kids. She’s out there changing lives, and that’s a remarkable thing to do.
How do you build partnerships with parents, and has this aspect of teaching changed over the
years?
Once again, relationships, honesty, humor! All three are so crucial to any relationship, and I’ve found that parents appreciate it, even when some things can be hard to hear.
What academic achievement from one or two of your students stands out most in your
memory?
This is such a hard question! Everything my kids do is so important, and I am proud of them for so many reasons. The kids who struggle with school and end up finding their way, like I did, make my heart sing, a touch higher, though. They’ve had to work so hard to find their way, and when they do, there’s nothing better.
When you look back at your career, what moments make you realize you chose the right profession?
I truly can’t imagine being anything other than a teacher. It’s an incredible job and the daily interactions I get to have with kids feed my soul. Being a teacher isn’t the kind of job you can “turn off” either. I’m thinking about my kids constantly, ways to make a lesson better, a new way to teach a lesson, interesting tidbits to add to my morning message, games to create using items from my travels, ideas that will help them write better…it’s never-ending. While exhausting, it’s also invigorating—and so much fun.
How has being a teacher influenced the way you see the world outside the classroom?
Kids are amazing. They have wonderful senses of humor, say hilarious things on a daily basis, ask
intriguing and wild questions, and truly make the world a better place. Kids openly talk about the things they love, are worried about, their families, losses, hardships they’ve overcome, and so much more. I feel grateful that I get to spend my days with them. They give me hope. They are going to do amazing and wonderful things to change the world. How incredible it is to spend my days with 26 future world-changers!
If you could go back and give your first-year teacher self one piece of advice, what would it be?
It’s difficult to understand the impact of this job unless you’re a teacher. Neither spouses, friends, nor family can understand how all-consuming it is. We make more decisions than a brain surgeon in one day, and there is rarely a moment when someone isn’t talking, saying your name, asking you a question, or telling you about their third favorite sea animal. It’s a lot. In order for it to not completely take over your life, you need to find and establish boundaries early on and stick with them. We could work 24/7 and still not get it all done, so we have to learn when to stop and take care of our minds and bodies.
How do you spend your summers?
I love Ann Arbor summers. We get our town back from the students, and there are a million things to do. I’ve also been lucky enough to take a trip with my mom every summer for the last several years. Traveling is the absolute perfect way to end a busy school year! Porch-time is a big thing in our house. My dogs, Stella and Mabel, two English Springer Spaniels, love spending hours on our front porch. We do a lot of reading, and chatting with friends and neighbors, and we even do art projects. It’s delightful.
What are you most excited about these days?
I’m at the point in my career—near the end—when I’m thinking about what might be next. While I’ve had many jobs, I’ve only had one career. Teaching is who I am, and what I’ve identified as for 30 years. I’m excited to figure out what might be next.
Be the first to comment