Get to Know a Golden Apple Finalist from Whitney Young High School

Ms. Anne-Michele Boyle remembers waiting in line at the Whitney Young Magnet High School table at a massive Chicago Public Schools job fair at the United Center more than 15 years ago. She had just earned her master’s in education and was transitioning from the corporate world. Now, all those years later, she’s still at Whitney Young and has no plans to apply for another job—or even to browse for one.

“I’ve been so happy here and plan on staying here forever,” she said. “Besides marrying my husband and having my three kids, becoming a teacher has been the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Over the course of her career at Whitney Young, Ms. Boyle has taught everything from Business Management to World Studies to AP World History to middle school Social Science. Regardless of what she is teaching, she explains that her students will likely remember her for her enthusiasm.

“I’m enthusiastic about teaching itself, but then I’m also really enthusiastic about the content that I’m sharing with my students,” she said. “I think students feel that passion, and it makes them more energized when we are discussing a certain topic.”

About five years ago, Ms. Boyle introduced a new class that she had developed called Global Citizenship. She lovingly refers to it as her fourth child and believes it is one of the things she is most well known for at Whitney Young.

The course centers on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals developed by the United Nations. Students focus on different goals at different points throughout the school year, starting with gender and racial inequalities, then clean energy and climate action, and then poverty and hunger. They analyze each goal at both the local and global levels.

Additionally, pandemic-permitting, each unit includes a field trip that allows students to take action for one of the causes that they are learning about.

“In the short term, I want every student to feel heard, welcomed, and loved in my classroom,” she said. “Looking more long-term, I want them to feel empowered to be agents of change to shape both our local communities and our global community.”

Ms. Boyle says that her passion is the quality that has defined her career. Even at family gatherings, she finds it irresistible to talk about her classroom with her relatives who are also educators. As she’s grown in her career, she’s found that her joy has grown as well, something she believes that all educators should know.

“When you start off teaching, it’s important that you understand that it will get better and celebrate the little victories,” she said. “The first year is always the hardest, and if you push through the first five, it’s the greatest career in the world.”

Ms. Boyle is one of our District’s 13 Golden Apple finalists for Excellence in Teaching. She notes that the recognition has only made her more grateful for the students, colleagues, and administrators who have made her a better teacher, and she’s honored to be a finalist given that CPS is teeming with great teachers.