I have had the distinct pleasure to work with amazing teachers. There was Marty Combs, Tony Finan, and Beryl Lemon at Priory. Eric Rowe and Alice Hobson at Loyola. There was Judy Winters and Kevin Budd at Nerinx. And there are many, many more I could have listed just as easily. Teaching can be a tough job and the ability to have support at the school is crucial. Victor Hicks was one of my first breakfasts and today it was Heidi.
Here are my signs when I look for a great teacher. (1) Students first, great teachers are always cognizant of putting the students and the needs of the students first. To do this successfully, probably means adding 20 to 30 % additional effort to your daily routine. This includes liking kids, it might seem weird but there are teachers at every school in America who hate kids. At Nerinx, one teacher held court every lunch in the teachers' lounge crabbing about and disparaging her students. That is why I chose to eat in the cafeteria. (2) Understand your subject, be curious about your subject, and continue to learn new things. If you are not a good learner, you cannot be a good teacher. (3) Be there for your colleagues, be ready to help as much as possible, as often as possible. Most teachers are on an island the whole day (their classroom) and occasionally need help in getting off the island, maybe just an emergency bathroom break. (4) Enforce the little, stupid rules of your school. If all teachers do this, a discipline, organized student body is the result. If you refuse to discipline the rules you think are petty, then you are just making your colleague's role harder. (I did not enforce dress code at the all girls' schools, there are problems with an older male pointing out deficiencies. My female colleague's knew this and I continually thanked them for working harder).
Heidi Binggeli fits all of these and more. She was always ready to do more for each and every student she taught. She went the extra mile for her students time and time again. She knew their names, greeted them daily, and then had a classroom that was very conducive to learning from specialized lighting she chose, to many pictures and wall hangings that enhanced the student's learning environment. Heidi loves government and social studies and could talk about them at length and was always doing more to keep up with the changes in our worlds' goverments and leaders. She was just across the hall from me for my first two years, and answered every stupid new guy question with a kindness and a patience that made me want to learn. I could tell from her empathy and compassion for my struggles that she did the very same for her students. This year, she is in a different job, and I am often left wondering what the email I just received means. Heidi is not there to say, "That does not apply to you." which was the answer most of the time at a Tech school.
Heidi used to entertain our lunch group with stories about the tenants on the other side of her flat. Those stories always made me laugh, and it seemed like there was a wacky neighbor story at least once a week. Heidi has her own quirks and likes, but she is the most low maintenance picky person I know. She would want certain things, certain ways, but she always did it with humor and made sure her wants did not impact others. Heidi has taught at schools where students show up without resources at home and often without the guidance that young people need. She has always handled these challenges with a smile or a laugh and made sure her students were well behaved and learning the material.
So, students of mine or students who might be reading this, if you want to be a teacher find yourself at North Tech or South Tech and follow Heidi around for the day. You will learn new things and you will learn how to teach, and all of this will happen because Heidi Binggeli is a really good teacher.
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