Considering the “Vote Miss Miyaji” posters lining the walls at Melrose Avenue Elementary School, it may appear that the second-grade teacher is running for a district school board seat.

Miss Sachiko Miyaji helps her students with their writing skills during class on Tuesday. She said she strives to be “student-centered.” (photo by Aaron Blevins)

Although she is not campaigning for any elected office, the 17-year educator is a finalist in the Great American Teach-Off, presented by GOOD and the University of Phoenix. At stake is a $10,000 classroom grant.

Over the last month, Sachiko Miyaji has persisted through four rounds of voting and has outlasted eight other elementary school teachers. The contest allows supporters to vote for their favorite teacher, and each week the two candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated.

In the last week of voting, she was competing against Madeleine Rogin, a kindergarten teacher from El Cerrito. Voting has now closed, and the winner is expected to be announced on April 29.

“The whole experience has been exciting, putting me out of my comfort zone,”  Miyaji said, expressing gratitude for the support at Melrose Elementary. “It just make me feel very loved.”

The Los Angeles native has taught at Melrose Elementary for four years, and said she strives to be “student-centered.” This means more focus on the children, more inquiries and more project-based learning, she said.

Magnet coordinator Stacy Bertuccelli said Miyaji has also been instrumental in integrating engineering into the curriculum and leading staff development on that front. Miyaji said engineering design is very similar to the innovative design process, both of which help students become good researchers and problem solvers.

“They handle it pretty well,” she said. “I think it’s great for kids to learn. …When we let them go, the kids just take off, and I just get blown away.”

Miyaji described her students as “very proud” children, who take ownership of their pursuit for knowledge. The class recently kicked off its insect project, and one student began researching ahead of time and requested to present to the class before the project was introduced, she said.

“It feels great to be able to lead a group of kids,” Miyaji added. “It’s just amazing what these kids can do. …I think it puts them in a good place to approach problems that may or may not exist right now.”

She feels that she still has “a lot” to learn about her profession, and said her students recognize that she too is learning.

“I think that just makes it more authentic,” Miyaji said.

Bertuccelli said Miyaji collaborates tightly with fellow second grade teacher Kevin Gaffield, and also has a lot of different leadership roles at Melrose Elementary. She also referenced the insect project, in which students become entomologists.

While “those things are exciting to read about,” Miyaji also excels in some of the less-glamorous aspects of teaching, such as data collection, Bertuccelli said. She said Miyaji “beautifully responds” to the needs of her students using that data.

“It’s a constant intervention and also acceleration for students based on their absolute specific learning goals,” Bertuccelli said. “She provides that targeted support.”

She said Miyaji has shown an ability to collaborate with her team at the school, and as a result, her students are “absolutely delighted” to come to school. Bertuccelli said Miyaji values seeing the students’ independent work, which helps keep them engaged.

“She works a lot with small groups, and it’s focused, safe and fun,” she said, adding that it may sound like cliché educational jargon, “but it’s true. She really identifies what we determine to be best practices.”

Furthermore, Miyaji is a national board-certified teacher who conducts different aspects of professional development, Bertuccelli said. She said Melrose Elementary uses Singapore math, and Miyaji will offer workshops to parents to bridge the gap.

“They work together toward shared goals,” Bertuccelli added.

Miyaji said she was nominated for the contest by the parent of a former student, who is now in third grade. She said her students have been very supportive, offering chants of “Go Miss Miyaji!” at random times, such as field trips.

“I didn’t really think much of it. The next thing I knew I got the e-mail saying congratulations. …It’s an honor for a parent to think that highly of me to nominate me. It’s really an awesome feeling of feeling supported by the whole community,” Miyaji said. “Everyone’s been very supportive.”

She said she would use the money to benefit the school’s science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) initiative. Miyaji said she would like to purchase some new arts equipment and a projector as well.

For information about the Great American Teach-Off, visit kto6gato.maker.good.is.