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SCHOOLS
Ey teaching love of reading, more to students
Allyson Ey, November teacher of month, teaches a class at Enslow Middle School on Nov. 30.
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HUNTINGTON -- Allyson Ey grew up with a love of reading. She even admits she pretty much always had a book in her hand.
Now, as the eighth-grade reading teacher at Enslow Middle School, she is doing her best to pass on that love to her students. And one of the biggest reasons Ey succeeds is the variety of books she has on the shelves in her classroom, ranging from "To Kill a Mockingbird" to "Star Wars."
She also takes up the task of having her students read "The Diary of Anne Frank," the story of a 13-year-old Jewish girl and her family who are forced into hiding by the Nazis during World War II. But Ey often takes her lessons to the next level. In June, she accompanied her students to Washington, D.C., to the Holocaust Museum.
"She poses thoughtful questions and asks (her students) to write in creative ways," Enslow principal Georgia Porter said. "The writings are placed on bulletin boards outside of her classroom in the hallway, which allows students of other grade levels to take part in the Holocaust experience."
Ey is taking it one step further. While attending the National Middle School Conference in Houston, Texas, last month, she discovered the Holocaust Museum Houston and their trunk program. The trunks are provided to schools by grants and contain books, pictures and memorabilia surrounding World War II and the Holocaust. Ey hopes to have her trunk before the holiday break, as her students are in the middle of reading "The Diary of Anne Frank."
Ey was born in California, but grew up in Huntington. She attended Cammack Middle and graduated from Huntington High School. She attended Randolph-Macon Women's College and the University of Richmond, both of which are in Virginia.
After graduating with a master's degree, Ey taught high school literature for seven years. When her son, Wilson, was born, she stayed home and taught part time.
In 2002, Ey and her husband, Christopher, and their son moved back to the Huntington area to be closer to their families. For a few years, she taught English as a Second Language throughout the county before landing the reading teacher job at Enslow in 2006. Now, she hopes to stand pat for a while and keep making a difference in her school.
"It's this urge I have to help these kids see I really care what I'm teaching, and I really care about them and their future," Ey said.
When school started this year, Ey said she realized her hard work and dedication were paying off when a student asked her it if was possible to start an after-school book club. More than three months later, the club has 22 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students along with five other teachers. And, she added, allowing the students to help pick out some of the books she orders in the beginning of the year gives them a sense of ownership.
"What inspires me a lot is if you can just give a little, they'll give a lot back," Ey said.
Porter said she's sure Ey's students will leave for high school with a deeper understanding of literature and often with the love for reading.
"She wants to always do what's right for every student," Porter said. "She's just very, very special."
