Melissa Filek, a sixth-grade language arts and social studies teacher at , is "a great teacher and a super role model for the kids both in and out of school," wrote Russell Goldberg in his nominating email.
Filek is the first teacher recognized by Redondo Beach Patch as part of .
"Any parent would be lucky to have Ms. Filek for a teacher," parent Kristin Witzenburg wrote in a LinkedIn recommendation for Filek. "My daughter has done a dramatic turnaround in the school environment, in large part to Ms. Filek … She pushes Jane and challenges her and doesn't accept less than her best; but at the same time makes my daughter feel like an important, valuable person."
On her class website, Filek recognizes multiple students for positive attitudes, participating in class and academic performance. "Students of the Week" are recognized for "respect, caring, honesty or one of the fabulous character traits Parras Middle School students always strive for," according to the site.
Participation prizes are raffled off to students each week. Every time a student participates, he or she is entered into the drawing to win a prize.
"Students of the Month" are "super star students" who have the highest grade in their Language Arts class at the end of the month.
According to her LinkedIn page, Filek is finishing her fourth year at Parras Middle School.
Do you want to recognize your favorite teacher on Redondo Beach Patch for Teacher Appreciation Week? Send an email to nicole.mooradian@patch.com with the teacher's name, school, grade and subject, and tell us why he or she deserves to be recognized. We'll write about every teacher this week.
