Teachers inspire the future of tomorrow, and that is exactly what Concord teachers strive to achieve. Teacher Appreciation Week took place between May 6th through the 9th. While a variety of treats and goodies were shared with our teaching staff, getting to know them and hearing their students’ compliments gives insight to the true power of their influence. Here are a few of the many amazing teachers who inspire students and accolades from their students.
Mr. Simmons is known for his fun and interesting topics, helpfulness, and continuous positive atmosphere. After teaching here for only three years, Mr. Simmons feels as though his favorite part “is the people I work with and especially working with this year’s freshman… seeing and hearing about their success stories.”
Freshman Lizzie Winklepleck would say that Mr. Simmons is respectful and kind. While spending time with him in class or robotics club, she remembers him sticking up for her when another student was bothering her. This stuck out most to her because “he told me that if any kid would make fun of me that he would actually do something about it… Mr. Simmons is someone who truly would do something about it, and he has my trust and utmost respect towards him.”
Helping students in the resource room, Mrs. Mattson enjoys helping them with anything they need. She finds that seeing the growth that the students have made from freshman year to senior year is the most rewarding part of her job because “I watch them leave the building knowing the individual mountains each of them has climbed.”
Senior Savannah Smith remembers from day one that Mrs. Mattson has always been there for her, in more ways than one, and feels inspired by that support. Smith wanted to share: “She is just a kind woman and she helps everyone to the best of her ability. I really appreciate that and everything she has done for me over the two years. I am going to miss that whenever I go off to college.”
Energetic, kind, and understanding is what best describes Mrs. Sigman. While she has been teaching here, she strives to make sure that everyone feels included and heard. She shares with her students that: “You should be unapologetically you.” She has always felt like she was pulled towards helping others and she feels that: “what I teach is really important and I want students to be aware of things around them and… educating them to make healthy choices for their lives, now and in the future.”
Spending a lot of time with Mrs. Sigman, freshman Genevieve Chadwell feels like Mrs.Sigman is like a second mom to her. Whether in class or cheer, Chadwell feels like she is always being pushed to be “my best inside and outside of school, especially in cheer.”
Before he adopted his daughter, Mr. Buck always saw his students as his kids. He believes that in all that time spent with his students, he made a special connection with them. He explains: “You can have great conversations with them, you cry together, laugh together, and it is hard to not look at them as not your kids. They just are and you learn to love each and everyone.”
Sophomore Reagan Mehl has Buck as her geometry teacher and softball coach this year. Whether on the field or at a desk, she appreciates that he motivates her to do her best even if it is a bad day. She shares: “He knows math isn’t my strongest subject so he helped me understand it in different ways when I didn’t know how to.”
The ‘Ah Ha’ moments or the moments where students understand the work after they have struggled with it for a while are Mrs. Fiero’s favorite, and those moments remind her why she became a teacher in the first place. She shares: “ When it clicks you can see it, even if it is not my content… It’s those moments that are just really awesome.”
Even when freshman Jessica Clouser is having a rough day, she has noticed that Mrs. Fiero is always there to help her when she needs it most. Recently, Mrs. Fiero has helped her by making a to-do list while she was upset, and it has helped her greatly. Clouser believes that “she is very caring and genuinely cares about the student’s success… you can always talk to her.”
Mr. Jurasek is famous for knowing just about everyone in the building due to his approachable and friendly personality. He is certain that having connections is the most important thing a teacher can have with a student, even if they don’t take his class or coach. He states: “Meeting kids on their level that might need more of a push in the classroom or just being someone to say good morning to them. Just understanding where they are at… builds a better relationship with them.”
Sometimes school can be a bit boring or stressful somedays, but senior Taylor Cole enjoys walking into Jur’s class making it exciting and fun to learn. Of all Jur’s characteristics, she appreciates most his patience with students and his sense of humor. Inspiration comes in many forms and Cole believes that: “He inspires me to further my education because he always asks his class questions about history, government, law, etc.”
Sharing wisdom and pushing students to their highest potential is what Ms. Kelly aims to do every time she steps in the door. Out of all the memorable moments, Ms. Kelly enjoys it most when students come back and share how far they have come especially the “kids who gave up on themselves and were going to settle, then made a decision that they were going to thrive and weren’t going to just settle anymore”.
Taking her favorite class, creative writing, Elizabeth Jordan enjoys Ms. Kelly’s encouragement, involvement, and fun atmosphere. With her own experience, Jordan shares: “She offhandedly commented on me potentially going to Oberlin. It came almost completely out of nowhere; I had never even heard of the school, much less the town, before. Oberlin has grown to be one of the top colleges on my list, as well as a bit of a joke between the two of us whenever we bring it up.”
Although I was unable to write about every teacher, I am grateful that I got to interview every one of you to hear your stories and thoughts. I would also like to say thank you for all that you do because I believe that each of you deserves recognition for what you do. Furthermore, the Concord community and students thank you for all your hard work and dedication to teaching the kids of tomorrow.
