Excellence Awards Recipient Detail Information

Dawn Cheikh Adjunct Instructor of French and Arabic Grand Rapids Community College

Statement:	I care about my students as people first. The subject matter is secondary. All of my life I’ve been a better listener than speaker. Consequently, in my classes, we are all learners and I try to set an example of really listening. Every morning I pray that I might love my students, all of them, equally. I promise my students that I will work as hard as what I am asking them to do. I come early to the classroom, and I always correct their assignments and return them the very next day. I never mention any problems, especially if they are personal. I keep upbeat, always greeting them with a smile and always acting interested in them. I try to make every moment we spend in class golden. I reformulate almost everything in the textbook so that all of us in the class can use it to the best advantage.