Meet CEC’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, Michael Craig

The CEC Teacher of the Year Award recognizes a CEC member teacher who currently provides instruction to students with disabilities and/or gifts and talents and is an outstanding member of the profession. Their work exemplifies the best in special education teaching and reflects significant, documented positive outcomes for students, continued professional development, and the highest standards of educational quality.   

We spoke with our 2025 awardee, Michael Craig, on his career journey and experience as a CEC member.

What inspired you to become a special educator?

To be quite honest, becoming a special educator came about due to circumstances in my career fifteen years ago. With our district (Detroit Public Schools) being under emergency financial management, it was common to receive a layoff notice every spring while hoping and praying you would be recalled for the fall. These circumstances led me to go back for certification in Special Education, and to Drew Transition Center, where I have created and currently run the Drew Horticulture Program. By working with special needs young adults to teach vocational horticulture skills and produce high-end produce for fine dining establishments in Detroit, we have created a program that has become the model for the nation!

Can you share a bit about your career journey?

I started my teaching career as a long-term substitute in the City of Hamtramck, MI. A unique city of two square miles with over 28 different languages being spoken, I taught second graders in all subjects, and was asked to take a fifth-grade position the following year. In this position, with so many different languages, customs, and beliefs, I was able to bring students together on multiple occasions, both in and outside of school hours, through community service hours. From planting trees to landscaping our school grounds to specialized field trips, I was able to create a bond among students where learning subject matter in the classroom became a group conquest, with students rising to the occasion to learn material above current expectations. 
Upon the death of my mother (a first-grade teacher for 36 years) due to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, I took a fifth-grade position in Southwest Detroit to be near my father. Here, I continued my work in creating a community of learners who were able to do community-based projects in addition to the normal school day, becoming aware of the community in which they lived while enhancing it at the same time.
Being a large part of the Hispanic community in southwest Detroit with this position, I was saddened to become a part of the financial crisis in the Detroit Public Schools with constant layoffs, but my decision to obtain Special Education certification led me to my current position here at the Charles Drew Transition Center.
 

What keeps you motivated and passionate about teaching every day?

In my work teaching special needs students the skills of horticulture while running a program that supports two five-star Detroit restaurants with leafy greens, each day is a fun day of planting, caring, and harvesting of produce, some of which the students have never seen or sampled. Students are excited to have the chance to work with their peers on hands-on activities to accomplish tasks, they enjoy tasting the “fruits” of their labors, and they understand that people count on them to get the jobs done. It’s rewarding to me to see students work hard each day, knowing that, down the road, they may have an opportunity to work at local businesses or partake in our work-based learning program.

What has been the most rewarding moment of your teaching career so far?

This is an easy one. About seven years ago, as part of my daily schedule, I had a class of SXI/SCI (Severely Physically/Severely Cognitively deficits) students. With much thought, I was able to accommodate and modify the daily work tasks so that they could be successful with them, and thus be a contributing part of our program. Each day, I had to think of new and innovative ways for these students, five of whom were in wheelchairs, three of these being motorized, to have tasks broken down into manageable pieces so they could perform them. Steven was one of these students in a motorized wheelchair. One day in Spring, I took them outside to complete some landscaping chores. Steven’s eyes were wide as I showed him the mini-rototiller and told him he was going to operate it to till a flowerbed for planting. From his wheelchair, I gave him the tiller and helped him navigate and use it to till two beds, all with the biggest smile on his face. After class let out, he told me it was the best day of his life, saying nobody had ever trusted him with a job like that!

Later that year, Steven somehow found out that I had been nominated for Michigan Teacher of the Year, and he came to me and asked if he could submit a letter on my behalf. Without being able to physically write, we worked together over the course of five days to dictate a letter of support, where he recalled the many different methods I had used to help him and his classmates contribute. Definitely a rewarding moment.

What made you join CEC?

In joining CEC, I wanted to make sure that I had access to any and all information about curriculum, methodology, and instruction so I could implement in my current situation as needed. I also wanted to stay current on new trends and ideas, attend conferences to network and share what worked for me, and learn from other teachers across the country. Having access to this information and a network of people in the field of Special Education provides a way of making sure that I am doing all I can for students.

How has being a member of CEC supported you in your career?

As a member of CEC, I have had the opportunity to present our award-winning program at conferences and meet many people who have shared their methodologies and experiences, allowing me to learn from their approaches. I have utilized their publications in my current program, incorporating their Life Centered Education curriculum alongside another curriculum piece to develop specific rubrics for student achievement, which drive data for our school. All in all, CEC is a multifaceted resource tool for me, one that I will continue to use to support my current work in the classroom.

If you can share one piece of advice with new special education teachers, what would it be?

You know the saying, “It takes a village to raise children.” Well, it’s true. My advice to young teachers in the field of special education is that you can’t do it by yourself. You need help, you need colleagues to bounce ideas off, you need social workers, physical therapists, speech teachers, you need it all! Ask for help, know that you are not alone, and be a resource yourself for others.

Want to recognize a colleague for their hard work and dedication? Nominations are open for the 2026 Teacher of the Year and other professional awards. Learn more and submit your nominations by September 1, 2025.