In high school, Chrystal Burkes worked part time as a baby sitter. There was one particular third-grader whom she sat for who didn’t like to read. In an effort to encourage him to read, Burkes had him read and act out scenes from one of his favorite books, SpongeBob DetectivePants: The Case of the Missing Spatula.
She said she would hide a spatula in a different spot each time around the house, then read and re-enact the book to find the spatula at the end. Burkes said the boy wanted to go through the process over and over.
“We had so much fun. We literally re-enacted the entire book, and he seemed to enjoy it,” Burkes said. “The next week — I baby-sat him regularly — his mom was like, ‘What was this book y’all read? He’s never talked about a book before.’”
It was then that Burkes decided that maybe she would be a good teacher.
“That was a teaching strategy I didn’t know I was doing,” Burkes said.
Burkes was recently named the 2017-18 Bryant Teacher of the Year.
“It means all the hard work, not only that I do, but my team does — because I didn’t do everything myself — has paid off,” Burkes said. “For me, it is about representing the hard work that we did for the kids and for the school and for the teachers.
“I am honored to be awarded that for how hard our team worked this past year.”
Burkes has served as a third- and fourth-grade teacher at Davis Elementary School since 2013 under former principal Michelle Lewis.
“Chrystal is an amazing teacher who is truly deserving of the award,” Lewis said. “She is one of the most passionate, energetic teachers I have worked with in my years in education.”
Burkes said a couple of district winners have come from Davis Elementary, so “it just goes to show, a lot of the teachers put our all into our work.”
“I think it is a great recognition for Davis, too,” she said.
Burkes, who is originally from Hot Springs, graduated from Lake Hamilton High School in 2006. She received a bachelor’s degree in early-childhood education from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway in 2010. She has a master’s degree in educational theory and practice from Arkansas State University and a master’s degree in library media specialist that she earned from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia earlier this year.
“Chrystal impacts our entire school with her positive attitude and her strong leadership skills,” Lewis said. “Her passion for her students is very evident. She works hard to meet their individual needs and to make sure they feel safe taking risks and exploring in her classroom.
“Davis Elementary School is definitely a better place because of [Burkes’] dedication to her students and their education.”
Christy Frost, the Gifted and Talented teacher for the Bryant School District, has known Burkes for four years.Frost said Burkes is one of the most organized and sincere people she has ever met.
“She is a planner; she is always making sure all of her ducks are in a row,” Frost said. “She is always wanting to do what’s best for people.”
Frost said Burkes was chosen for the honor because she has a passion for teachers and students and loves technology.
“She makes sure she doesn’t replace the students’ day with computers and technology, but enhances lessons with them,” Frost said. “She makes sure the students have the right tools for being successful.”
Burkes was recently hired as the library and media specialist for Parkway Elementary School — the brand-new school scheduled to open in the fall in the Bryant School District. She will join Lewis, who was named the school’s principal earlier this year.
“The day I took my Praxis and I got back into my car, the district had posted the library position for Parkway,” Burkes said. “I love [Michelle], and everything just lined up perfectly with my schooling and everything else.
“She saw me be a teacher for five years. Hopefully, I have proven myself, and that’s why she decided I should go with her.”
Lewis said she loves going into Burkes’ classroom because it is always exciting and full of energy. She said Burkes incorporates music, technology and educational games on a daily basis to keep students engaged and excited about learning.
“I love all things literacy and all things technology,” Burkes said. “Being able to do that from kindergarten to fifth grade is real exciting.
“At Davis, they let me teach a lesson for each grade level, and I learned a few things from that, and I loved it. … I feel like this is going to be an easy transition.”
Burkes, who lives in Benton, said she wants to make the library a place where kids want to be. She said that in her experience, kids never say the library is their favorite pull-out class of the day. She wants to change that.
“A lot of what I did at Davis this past year are things I can do as a library media specialist,” Burkes said.
Burkes has already purchased virtual-reality merge cubes for the library. The cubes give students an interactive look at various subjects, such as space exploration and anatomy, by using a smartphone or tablet.
“Even with just how long I have been teaching, technology has totally changed the way I teach,” Burkes said. “I use Google Classroom, and I send them links, and we all explore things together, or they explore it on their own.
“I feel like it is a lot more hands-on and a lot more independence with the students.”
Lewis said Burkes initiated several innovative programs at Davis Elementary School, including developing and implementing a digital citizenship program for the students.
“The students loved the program, and they learned very important information on digital safety, etiquette and responsibility when using technology,” Lewis said.
She said Burkes also implemented Media Mondays for the teachers. It was an after-school workshop for the staff to help them become more knowledgeable of technology and the creative ways to incorporate technology into the classroom.
“She is definitely a leader in our school and in her grade level,” Lewis said. “She is always willing to collaborate with her peers and provide support.”
Burkes said one of her favorite things to do this past year was a vocabulary parade. Kids would pick a new vocabulary word, then dressed up to represent their words.
“It was schoolwide, and it was really fun to see all the new vocabulary words,” Burkes said. “Kids would point them out and ask me, ‘What does this word mean?’ So then we would go and look it up together.
“I don’t have to do these things. So I think that’s maybe why I got chosen [as District Teacher of the Year], because I was getting out of my comfort zone and doing more schoolwide things to promote literacy and technology.”
Lewis said Burkes also helped organize the One Book, One School Program. The month-long program was designed to encourage students and parents to read together each night.
“Chrystal is a great role model and loved by students, parents and her colleagues,” Lewis said.
“I gave it my all inside the classroom and outside the classroom, doing so much more with schoolwide events for teachers, students and families,” said Burkes, who also coordinates the school’s spelling-bee competition.
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.