Bittersweet trip for Conant teacher up for state award

Conant High School English teacher Ann Metaxatos will carry a heavy heart to Peoria Saturday.

"It's such a bittersweet thing," she said.

Metaxatos, known by students as "Mrs. M," has spent 26 years inspiring students at Conant in Hoffman Estates. Her strong work ethic was, in turn, inspired by her parents, Greek immigrants who toiled at various factories while trying to provide a better life for their children.

When Metaxatos was named one of 10 finalists for Illinois Teacher of the Year, awarded by the state education board, her father said it was his dream to travel with her to Saturday's award banquet and see you win.

But tragedy struck last week when her father, Jim Karegianes, collapsed without warning at his Bloomingdale home, across the street where Metaxatos lives with her husband, Paul, and 10-year-old son, Robert.

"It happened so suddenly," she said.

Metaxatos returned to school a week later. Being reunited with her students, who didn't know of her loss, has lifted her spirits.

"Even with the tragic loss of her father, she was concerned about her kids and others before herself," Conant Principal Tim Cannon said. "I feel very fortunate to be able to work with Ann. She embodies what great teaching is all about."

Cannon nominated Metaxatos for the award, and she's been through a battery of interviews to be selected a finalist from 175 applicants. In addition to classroom teaching, she helps at-risk students with reading comprehension.

"It's never boring," she said. "When you have to work with kids, nothing ever stays the same. You have to cater to the needs of this year's kids, not last year's or the years before."

Metaxatos grew up in Chicago before moving to the suburbs and graduating from Schaumburg High School in the same district, Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211, where she's spent her entire teaching career, at Conant. Metaxatos earned her bachelor's degree at DePaul University and a master's at Concordia University.

Though she now commands the classroom, Metaxatos remembers as a fourth- or fifth-grader being terrified of public speaking. She said she still isn't comfortable, though Conant's administration has asked her to take more of a leadership role. But at the same time, she's happy that she's pushed herself much in the same way she does with her own students.

Cannon said she's one of most respected faculty members and the most humble person he's met in his 30 years in education.

"She is totally about the kids," he said. "Kids love her because she sincerely cares about them. Kids are great at recognizing phonies, and they know with Ann that it truly matters to her how they do not only in school, but after school."

Metaxatos combs the Internet for stories that will resonate with her students. Topics in the past year have included the Octomom and even Paris Hilton's water-drinking habits. Much to her husband's chagrin, she had Hilton's favorite brand of bottled water, Bling H20, flown to her home so she could bring it to school and conduct a taste test.

If Metaxatos wins Teacher of the Year, she'll have to take something of a victory tour, going across the state to talk about her teaching prowess with other teachers and parents. Her students, while supportive, don't want her away from their classrooms, so they're sort of hoping she comes in second.

Her parents, who lived in neighboring villages in Greece, didn't meet until they came to Chicago. Her mother Effie will still make the trip to Peoria, and Metaxatos' sister Georgia will take her father's place.

"But he'll still have the best seat in the house," Metaxatos said.

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