Hello, my name is Chris Gratkins. I am honored to be the newest member of the St. Matthew's teaching team! I will be teaching 7th and 8th grade science with a 7th grade homeroom. I am looking forward to meeting my students at the end of August. I have been teaching for 10 years at Stratton Elementary Academy of the Arts. Most recently I taught 5th grade but I began my career as a 4th grade teacher. I earned a master's in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education in December 2019. I love working with children of all ages; I used to coach the Urbana Boy's Tennis Team and I worked at the Culver Military Academy - Woodcraft Camp before I became a teacher. My 1st summer as a camp counselor was in 2004 and I witnessed campers become confident, well-rounded leaders in their 6 week program. I was grateful to play a part in that process and look to recreate this experience in my classroom.
As a fourth/fifth grade teacher I learned the value of integrating curriculum throughout the day. I look forward to working closely with the 7th/8th grade team to help integrate their disciplines into the Science room. Unit 4 uses the Amplify Science curriculum and I taught the 5th grade units for 2 years. I love this curriculum because it uses engagement and guiding questions to challenge our kiddos. Students discover concepts through research and laboratory experiments. Beyond that I have a curiosity about how the world works and last year forced me to learn more about coding and CAD design. I look forward to integrating projects that focus on these skills. Also, I am a husband and father of 3 children. God and family are huge parts of my life and I am grateful to work at a school where I can say this freely without repercussion. I graduated from St. Matthew's in 1998 and I strive to live a God Centered life. I look forward to strengthening current relationships at St. Matthew's and meeting new parents and students! |
7th Grade Science |
8th Grade Science |