Jean McCabe grew up in Washington DC. Every week, she took a bus and a streetcar to one of those grand old libraries with broad stone steps and a huge walnut charge desk.  She was allowed to borrow only two books a week, not nearly enough to keep her inquisitive mind occupied, so she always chose the fattest ones she could find. At school, a laundry basket of books was delivered to her classroom every month. She read them all, starting with the ones she liked and gradually worked her way through even the ones she didn't.   

Fast forward to the year 2009 … Dr. Jean McCabe still has a passion for learning and a quest to share that passion with others. Retired from her position as a building principal, Jean continues to work for Grand Haven Area Public Schools as the Director of English Language Arts. Jean’s one single focus is to bring literacy to all children. She truly believes that each and every child is entitled to a first-rate education and an opportunity to achieve the life skills of reading and writing. Jean accomplishes this monumental task by focusing on training those who have the greatest impact on a student’s success. She trains and educates teachers in the latest and greatest research-based and best practice language arts instruction. When she empowers teachers, she touches and empowers kids. 

That little girl who visited the library longing for the written word is not so very different from the woman we now know as our local ELA leader and hero. A voracious reader who desires to share her love of learning, she still lives by that same credo that motivated her years ago… “So many books…so little time…” Congratulations, Jean! 

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To download the 2009 - 2010 Educator Award Application, click HERE