About me:
My name is Anne-Michele McMahon Boyle. I have been part of the Chicago education landscape since I was a child. I attended elementary school in Chicago, Resurrection High School on the Northwest Side of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago for college and earned both of my masters degrees from DePaul University in Chicago. I have taught in Chicago Public Schools in 2006.
After graduating with a business degree from Loyola, I worked as a marketing analyst and then outside advertising sales representative at the Chicago Tribune. I loved my experience there, and learned a lot, but the need to teach kept growing inside me until I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I said goodbye to the corporate world, and went back to school to earn a masters degree in education. I started my education career at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School teaching business in 2006. I have taught a multitude of classes since then, including 7th Grade Social Science, Business Management, Sports Management, World Studies, AP World History and since 2017, the course I developed, Global Citizenship/Local Citizenship.
Global Citizenship/Local Citizenship challenges students to embrace their roles as global citizens and local citizens by exploring topics such as poverty, hunger, health, human rights, equity, environmentalism, sustainability and responsibility. Throughout the year students research, study, analyze and assess how well we, as a global community, and local community are doing to reach the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Students recognize and take concrete action to meet and exceed their local, national and global responsibilities. Every unit of study features an expert speaker and a service-learning activity. Global Citizenship/Local Citizenship is project-based, inquiry-centered, service-focused, discussion-heavy, group-oriented and student-driven.
Developing a sense of curiosity and building on that curiosity is an important part of my approach to teaching. I think the inquiry-based approach is successful because it naturally lends itself to student buy-in. And thus maximizes student learning. To help students grow and embrace a growth mindset, I regularly share that I am learning alongside them. We are all learning together.
In addition to teaching, I sponsor our Fair Trade Club, Girl Up Club and Dolphin Destinations (student travel abroad program). I also write the Whitney Young press releases and serve on the Local School Council. To connect local students to the global, I work with the Pulitzer Center, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Chicago Fair Trade, NaTakallam and the University of Chicago's Center for Middle Eastern Studies. I also love to use National Geographic resources.
Many of the cool activities that my students and I engage with are shared on Twitter. If you are interested, check out my Tweets, @annemichele
When I am not teaching or learning, I am hanging out with my husband and three kids, my parents, brothers, cousins, in-laws, and friends in Chicago...or sometimes travelling with some, or all of them.
In August of 2021, I began my journey with Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms. This website is part of the Fulbright Capstone Project.
Disclaimer: This is not an official U.S. Department of State site. The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, IREX, or the U.S. Department of State.