Introducing: Cheryl Blau, Lower School Stem Teacher

Welcome Cheryl!

Cheryl's connection and commitment to Roeper began when she was a student, then a parent, and later a Board member here. She can skillfully teach a wide range of subjects to any age group with enthusiasm and creativity. In her sample lesson during the hiring process, Cheryl was like a modern-day Mary Poppins, pulling all sorts of materials from her bag, pivoting to meet the needs of our diverse learners without missing a beat.  - Lower School Director, Cynthia Harris

 

Coming to Roeper in 1977 in the middle of 9th grade changed my life, both at that time and ever since. I found my home at Roeper, and I found my voice at Roeper. It is here where I learned to trust the value of my own ideas, here where I developed the courage to try and the confidence to keep going even when my sense of what was important differed from what I heard others saying. From this strong foundation, I have continued to stand up and speak out for what is right and fair for myself and others, particularly as it impacts children in their day-to-day lived experiences of school.

This is my 40th year as an educator, and I have never been more excited to begin the school year! My classroom is in what I remember as Richard Anderson’s Biology lab in the Science Duplex Building between the Middle Building and the Quad. I will be teaching six sections of Stage III core Science classes and one section of Algebra in Stage V.

 

I love volunteering each Saturday at the Farmington Farmers Market. I am also a member of the Farmington Public Schools Board of Education, the Farmington/Farmington Hills Arts Commission, and the Farmington/Farmington Hills Education Foundation. Additionally, I co-captain and march in parades with both the Rosie the Riveter Lunchbox Drill Team and the Farmington Warnerettes Suffragists Parasol Drill Team. I also love to dance, sing, write, paint, sculpt, read, swim, run, bake, hike, explore, learn, being a mom, helping others, meeting new people, the woods, the beach, campfires, and welcome any opportunity to get together with family and friends.

 

Whether preschoolers, middle schoolers, or college students, I enjoy teaching my students how to advocate for themselves and others by having them learn and practice listening, communication, and conflict resolution skills. I also teach them how to take their power back despite the unkind words and actions of others and how to enjoy the day even though some things may have unfolded differently than they anticipated. I hope my students learn to believe in themselves and their power to make a positive difference in the world by both believing there is good in the world and trying to be the good in the world.

 

That day in 9th grade when I first visited Roeper, it already felt like home to me. And although I was only a student here for three and a half years, the experience changed my life. Coming to Roeper had a similar impact upon my own two children during their years at the Lower School. After swimming against the current for the past four decades, it feels good to be home again where I am celebrated, not criticized, for being who and how I am as both a teacher and a human being.