Unqua Elementary School teacher Amy Kanavy-Curry was recently named the recipient of the Margaret Simon Award for Excellence in Elementary Social Studies Education by the Long Island Council for the Social Studies. Kanavy-Curry is the first elementary teacher in Massapequa to be recognized for this award and will receive it during a ceremony at the Upsky Hotel in Hauppauge on May 28.
As an educator at Unqua for 16 years, and the designated sixth-grade social studies teacher there, Kanavy-Curry said she feels very lucky to be honored in this manner.
“As educators, we are often rewarded by the reaction of the children we teach, but it is far less common to be honored or recognized by people in the same profession,” she said. “I like to think I share this award with all the people I work with and have worked with in Massapequa. We are a family and a lot of people have supported and inspired me along the way.”
Kanavy-Curry was nominated for the award by Brian Dowd, the district’s curriculum associate for social studies, K-12, who called her the “go-to” teacher for social studies teachers in the district’s five other elementary schools.
“Amy willingly offers her advice and expertise and is a lifeline for them,” he said, adding that Kanavy-Curry’s students have been “doing” social studies since she became the designated social studies teacher at Unqua. “It is rare that the students aren’t engaged in some activity making social studies come alive for them and making the lessons memorable.”
Kanavy-Curry said she keeps her students engaged by making teaching fun.
“I try to get the children to draw conclusions, make inferences and read as much, and as often as possible,” she said. “When teaching Ancient History, students act out plays, do yoga, meditate, examine artifacts, simulate archaeological digs, perform court cases, pretend to be monks, eat Greek food, dress up like gods and goddesses and try to convince the class who should be the next patron god.”
Kanavy-Curry, who earned a B.S. in Elementary Education and a M.S. in Reading from Long Island University at C.W. Post, is a LICSS member as well as a certified yoga instructor.
