Marguerite Call has taught school for 36 years, 34 of which have been spent at Gramercy Elementary in Ogden, Utah. Over those years, education as a whole has seen a decline in the amount of art used in the classroom. Marguerite, however, is a champion for the arts in education. She strongly believes that we should educate children equally in all subjects. With so much focus today on reading and math, she still finds ways to pull the arts into her classroom through poetry, songs, plays, dance, and visual arts.
She encourages her students to succeed in all areas of their education and continually teaches the importance and value in the arts. She helps her students create beautiful works of art by giving them loving instruction and the confidence to create.
Instead of seeing art as an extra subject for which there is little or no time, she uses it to reach her students who are struggling with math and reading. Her work has helped students become motivated about learning. Her lesson always include the arts which allow her to target kids who think differently than their peers and need other types of stimulation for learning.
I have had the opportunity to work with Marguerite for 28 years. In our time together I have watched her quietly outfit children with coats, boots, and dresses, always at her personal expense. She cares deeply for her students and ensures that those in need are always cared for. She’s spent many mornings before school combing and braiding the hair of little girls who weren’t getting that kind of attention at home. She sees the need and she acts, constantly aware of her students comfort and happiness. Marguerite loves and cares for her students, especially those who need it most.
Marguerite often shies away from awards for her work. The things she does are out of love and with only one goal in mind, to make the lives and futures of her students a little bit brighter. Because of her dedication to the arts and her devotion to her students, I would like to nominate Marguerite Call for the KSL Teacher Feature.
–Katherine Passey