Teacher of the Week -- May 13th

Do you know an area teacher making a huge impact on the lives of their students? Nominate them for the KHAK Teacher of the Week Award!

This week’s winner is Gus Creach, a 5th grade teacher at North Bend Elementary in North Liberty! The original nomination is from Amber Smith and Justin and Erica Smith, and they wrote:

"Mr. Creach is one of the best teacher’s we have ever had for our son, Brody! He is currently Brody’s fifth grade teacher. Every child has that ONE teacher who turns the light bulb on for them, who gets them like no one else. Mr. Creach has been that person for Brody since day one. Brody has said on several occasions that he wishes Mr. Creach could be his teacher every year. He has such an infectious eagerness for teaching, and his positive attitude, tied with his ability to connect with the students on their own level, makes him an inspiration in the classroom. He goes above and beyond to connect with each child and figures out what makes each one tick. Because of this, he is able to make each child feel like he/she is his favorite. His approach with the children makes each and every one of them feel smart and extra ordinary. It is easy to see that he sincerely cares for every single student. He actually sees the great character traits in each student, celebrates it, and encourages them to step outside of their comfort zones to grow. Mr. Creach’s dedication to his students is inspiring. He cares about them deeply and goes above-and-beyond his duties as a teacher to encourage growth academically and emotionally. Mr. Creach is more than deserving to win an award for being the best teacher."

And we didn't get just ONE entry for Mr. Creach... we got a BUNCH of them! Here are the others:

"I would like to nominate my 5^th grade teacher Mr. Gus Creach because he is a great teacher that makes class a lot of fun. Math was one of my worst subjects and before this year I hated it, but Mr. Creach helped make math become one of my best and by far my favorite class this year. I really hope he is chosen because everyone that has Mr. Creach says that he is their favorite teacher. Another thing he has helped everyone this year understand is more about politics and how the election works. I like Mr. Creach, he helps the class out with math, science, homework, social studies after school on his own time. I believe Mr. Creach deserves this award." - Brody Smith (student)
"Mr. Creach is a special teacher who has a real passion for each and every individual in his class. He recognizes them for the individuals they are, praises their strengths and helps them to work on their weaknesses. He has been a true cheerleader for our son and has had an amazingly positive influence that I’m confident will be everlasting. He is not only teaching his students the curriculum, but also social skills and critical thinking skills. We are very thankful our son has had the opportunity to be a student of Mr. Creach." - Darci and Mert Roehler
"I love Mr. Creach because he doesn’t get upset easily, he doesn’t have us go to the principal’s office just the recess board. He’s really helped me out with my ADHD. He’s put aside the whole class for me. I couldn’t do division and at lunch he helped me with it and took away his time from lunch with the other teachers and helped me. Now I’m caught up on long division!" - Asher (student)
"I enthusiastically and wholeheartedly agree with this recognition of Mr. Creach! He has made a huge impression on both of my daughters, although only one of them belongs to his class. I think Mr. Creach gets it! He obviously realizes there is more to teach children than simply academics. He understands that he has to reach beyond the classroom to secure resources to develop and mentor his kids! In my view, he works diligently to make my daughter into a well-rounded human being! I welcome the opportunity to answer any questions or to speak on Mr. Creach’s behalf." - Carlinton Dobson
"First I want to tell you how deserving Mr. Creach would be for this award. He is the kindest, most understanding and patient teacher either one of my kids has ever had. I remember after going to my daughter Anna’s PLP meeting, my husband and I left saying, “wow”. My son left saying, “why couldn’t he have been my teacher”. He makes learning so much fun for those kids. He knows how to get them intrigued. We think the world of him!" - The Lode Family
"Mr. Creach has been able to connect with my son and help him achieve new levels of success that I always have known he is capable of. As a single mom, having a male teacher is nice. However, having a male teacher that truly shows all of the kids how much he cares is a true blessing. Mr. Creach is the only teacher that has spent time every week after school with the kids by creating “Homework club”. He finds fun and engaging ways to keep the kids focused on learning without making it feel like learning. Mr. Creach even takes things a step further by teaching the kids life lessons about being kind to each other and finding ways to help those around you. I will never be able to tell him thank you enough times for how he has helped my son grow." - Sara Lang
"I love that you’re doing this! Mr. Creach has been by FAR Ashley Webb’s favorite teacher yet. We’ve seen her excel so much this year as she wants to do a great job and not let Mr. Creach down. He has so many little extras in his class that make the kids excited to learn. He also holds this homework club several days a week after school until 4:20 to let the kids have time to do their homework and to get help if they are struggling. We have really enjoyed the stories we hear about what they did in class each day. I have attached a picture from the Fun Fair showing how much the kids love having him around." - Shannon Webb
"My family would like to take some time to express how thankful we are for a teacher like Gus Creach. He has been such a positive influence on not only his students, but all the students at North Bend Elementary. He is always very encouraging. His classroom is so inviting that even Kemora’s little sister, La’mari, loves to visit! Mr. Creach respects the children by listening to their thoughts and/or concerns while working with them to assist in reaching their goals. My daughter is thriving in his class and she loves going to school because of Mr. Creach. She wants to go to school early to assist with classroom duties and leave late to participate in Homework Club. Kemora has so much fun learning with Mr. Creach and any teacher who can spark that joy in a child should be recognized." - The Tillman-Arnaman Family
"Mr. Creach is the best teacher. He has the Homework Club after school! When you have had a small breakfast and need a snack, he gives you cereal. He treats us like we can handle a lot (because we can). Mr. Creach goes above and beyond for every student." - Kemora Tillman (student)
"From the moment Gus Creach walked through our doors, he has brought smiles to our faces and warmed our hearts. His energy and love of learning and teaching is infectious… along with his smile and good nature. He is a joy to work with and such a benefit to our amazing North Bend teaching staff. He teaches our kids the basics in totally creative ways that makes them want to learn more. I remember walking into a math lesson and he was covered with sticky notes and sticky notes were everywhere in his class. He explained that it was a math game. The students were completely engaged. He inspires our students to reach higher. There is a table in the lunchroom for those who want to work math problems while eating lunch… and it is attracting more and more students each day. He teaches our students respect. Every day, he makes sure that the lunchroom is picked up and his students have thanked the staff. He reaches out to all the students. He is a 5^th grade teacher, but walks through the halls and through the lunchroom high-fiving and saying hello to all students. He creates a safe place in his classroom for students before and after school. He holds a “homework club” for anyone that wants to stay and ends it with a relay race of some sort. He volunteers to assistant coach basketball and baseball to build the relationship even more with his students. He brings his passion for teaching to his students’ parents during conference time, too. He involves the student in the process and personalized each conference with handwritten notes about our child’s progress in and out of class. I’ve witnessed the amazing changes he has made in so many students’ lives… and I’m thankful that my son has him as a role model." - Suzanne Schloss
"Mr. Creach is an amazing teacher, he makes learning fun, my daughter loves that when they get an answer right and they get to play trash ball. Mr. Creach is always going above and beyond to help the kids. He does at least twice a week of homework club for about a half hour after school and even lets my 2^ndgrade son come and spend time in the classroom while his sister does homework club." -Kelsey Montross
"I’m writing this to tell you about Mr. Gus Creach. He teaches 5^th grade at North Bend Elementary in North Liberty. My son Owen (10) is one of his students. Mr. Creach teaches these children how to work together and be a team. He has opened Owen up to learning so much this year!! He actually loves going to school!!! Mr. Creach takes the time and finds what Owen is good at and has helped him be strong and grow in his education. Mr. Creach comes down to the 5^th grade child level and plays and becomes a 5^th grader when necessary. He makes learning fun!!! He takes extra time after school for the class to do homework and get extra help if they need it. Football games after school. He is an excellent teacher and I’m so thankful Owen has him in the early stage of adolescent years!" - Megan Smith
"I wrote this on the last day of 5^th grade 2015-Meant every word of it. Mr. Creach, Thank you for not being afraid of being real, caring, and being involved in your student’s lives. It matters and it is what makes change in the student’s lives and hearts. Building relationships is risky and can be messy, however it is worth the investment to be brave. Our extremely intelligent young boy has looked forward to Saturdays and counted how many days until summer since he was in PK. This school year has been different, notice he was one of the last students to leave the building this afternoon. School had always tried to push him into a box and keep him there. Thank you for not being afraid to open the box and invest in what matters. Know that you are “that” teacher for Stirlen. You were an answer to prayer for this mama. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you have done for our boy! Have a great summer and I am fairly certain our boy will take you up on your officer to visit anytime!" - Sirl’s mom, Phoebe
"Mr. Creach also known as MC Reach by his old class, has a unique way of turning scared fourth graders into loving to be at school 5^th graders. He is loved by teacher, friends, family and especially his students. His classroom is a warm open judgement free zone, if you have been there you would know. He has an amazing sense of humor, and is a fun, loving caring teacher, husband and father." - Sincerely, 2014-2015 student Brayden Crawford