Where Would These Current And Former Students Be Without Some Very Special Teachers?

ACROSS AMERICA — A Pennsylvania mom says school was so hard for her son after returning to in-person learning during the pandemic that he wouldn’t have graduated from high school if not for his teacher, Amber Somers.

Across the country, a now-40-year-old Puyallup (Washington) Patch reader says his third grade teacher, Allan Cranston, remains “a huge part of who I am today.”

And in the middle of the country, a Buffalo Grove (Illinois) Patch reader remembers sixth grade teacher Wendy Aeschliman’s lessons about kindness and mutual understanding in a diverse community — taught against the backdrop of civil rights demonstrations and an unpopular war in Vietnam.

What these and other teachers shouted out by Patch readers for National Teacher Appreciation Week have in common is the lasting impression of their fierce dedication to preparing their students for an uncertain world. The National Education Association sponsors the annual observance, from May 8-12 this year.

“To all of the wonderful teachers out there, keep on doing what you are doing,” wrote Isabella, who reads Berkeley (New Jersey) Patch. “Teaching is a very difficult job, and it takes a special and beautiful soul to take on that job. Know that you are appreciated by all of your students past and present.”

Her favorite teacher is Ree Shivers, who directs the middle school band for the Central Regional School District in Bayville, New Jersey. Isabella has known Shivers for nine years and calls her “the kindest teacher that I have ever met in my entire life.”

“She is always there to assist students whenever they need it and is always pushing everyone to their full potential,” Isabella said. “She has helped me with band and acting. She creates wonderful opportunities for not only myself, but others. She is so loving and brings a light into every room she steps into.”

Science Is Cool And Write On

Andrea, a Bloomfield (New Jersey) Patch reader, said the influence of great teachers is felt beyond the classroom, touching people they never taught.

“If it was not for teachers, we would not have doctors, lawyers, engineers or any others who pass their skills on to others,” said Andrea, who credited her own professional inspiration to seeds planted by her Bloomfield High School earth science teacher, Bette Lee Carlson.

“She made learning fun and opened my eyes to love science,” Andrea said. “She believed everyone can learn. It is because of her I went into teaching.”

Andrea said she strives to “be as good a teacher as she was to me.”

Tredyffrin-Easttown (Pennsylvania) Patch reader Richard Bell said he owes a lot to Cyndi Hyatt, who recently retired from Conestoga High School, where she was co-adviser of the school’s award-winning student newspaper, The Spoke.

“She helped me develop a passion for writing when I took her class 10 years ago,” Bell said. “She also wrote my recommendation letter for college. I thank her for all that she has done for me.”

‘I Can. I Will. I’m Strong. I’m Disciplined.’

After four years of college, Puyallup Patch reader Meagan has been influenced by dozens of teachers. Without question, she said, her favorite is Cranston, her third-grade teacher.

“He was a huge part of who I am today,” she wrote. “He taught us that we are smart, strong and capable. He always said to look at things with a positive mindset. He always talked about being mentally tough. Mental toughness is one of the favorite things I learned from him.”

One way he did that was to ask the third graders to walk around the classroom in a circle chanting affirmations like “I can,” “I will,” “I’m strong” and “I’m disciplined.”

“I believed it,” Meagan said, “and still do.”

Cranston also taught mental toughness through the physical discipline of sports.

“He talked about always trying your best and the importance of being humble,” she said. “I have been an athlete ever since, and it kept me out of trouble. It kept me disciplined and driven.”

Meagan’s former classmates feel the same.

“We all talk about him to this day,” Meagan said. “The way Mr. Cranston changed my life is remarkable.”

Influence Is Lifelong For ‘Lucky 13’

Wendy Aeschilman taught sixth grade at Charles Gates Dawes School in Evanston, Illinois, for only one year, “but the influence on her ‘lucky’ students in Room 13 remains decades later,” said Darcy, the Buffalo Grove Patch reader.

The city and the countryside became their classroom, with fossil-hunting trips and visits to historic landmarks like the home of Charles Gates Dawes, the vice president who was the school’s namesake.

“As the Vietnam War raged in a faraway land and civil rights struggles caught our attention at home, she taught us the meaning of kindness and mutual understanding in a diverse community,” she said.

Aeschilman’s teaching made difficult topics come alive, Darcy said. For example, students rearranged their desks in a mock rebellion when they read George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” and Roman history came to life as class members were assigned roles as patricians, plebeians and slaves. The teacher was influential in other ways, too.

“Wendy Aeschliman taught us the importance of love and commitment at an early age in the partnership she shared with her husband, Dan, a graduate student at Northwestern University,” Darcy said.

Welcome To The Real World

Boston Patch reader Kevin said the eighth grade leadership team at Boston Public Schools’ Dearborn STEM Academy — Shanice Maxwell (English/language arts), Saadia Coleman (science), Philip Smith (math) and Dory Khoury (special education) — exemplify the best of teachers.

Their distinction is “encouraging their students to explore and challenge life in the most exciting, rigorous, healthy and inspiring way possible,” according to Kevin, the teachers’ colleague.

What makes these teachers remarkable?

In their classrooms, students work in pairs, applying critical thinking skills in a free exchange of thoughts and ideas; they engage in “academically and socially appropriate” conversations with teachers about everything from school work to current events; and they come up with creative ways to apply what they’ve learned to real-world situations, Kevin said.

“These teachers have a work ethic, are honest, and care about their students and fellow teachers in a way that deserves to be noticed and rewarded,” he wrote. “The privilege of teaching and educating, especially in modern times, is to teach others about our world’s social dynamics in an understandable and appreciated manner.”

Peace Of Mind From ‘Safe Person’

After a year and a half of remote learning during the pandemic, Montgomeryville-Lansdale (Pennsylvania) Patch reader Tracy’s son Michael’s anxiety, a disorder he had lived with since fourth grade, “had escalated to the point that he could not function” when he returned to school.

Yet Michael graduated on time, with his classmates, all thanks to Amber Somers, a teacher at North Penn High School in Lansdale, Tracy said.

“Mrs. Somers was amazing with Michael and keeping his anxiety under control,” Tracy wrote, calling her son’s IEP adviser his “safe person,” someone he could go to at any time to help him get through anxiety attacks.

She was also “there for me as his mom,” Tracy said.

“If I knew that Michael was having a rough morning and had trouble getting to school, I could email Mrs. Somers and give her a heads-up that he was upset when he left,” Tracy said. “She would do her best to check on him as soon as he got to school to try to get him calm and in a good state of mind for the day.”

They enchanted emails like that throughout the day, with conversation back and forth about whether Michael was having a rough day or just “goofing around with his friends and having fun like a normal teenager,” Tracy said.

“It gave me peace of mind,” relieving her of some of the nonstop worry about how her son was managing his anxiety, Tracy said. “This is priceless as a mom to know someone else is looking after your child when you cannot be there.”

Without his adviser’s steady, calm presence, “there is not a doubt in my mind that … Michael would have never graduated from high school and would have dropped out,” Tracy said.

After his graduation in 2022, Michael got a job with the township and is “doing great,” in large part because Somers helped him learn to manage his anxiety, Tracy said.

“The North Penn School District is lucky to have Mrs. Somers on their staff,” she said. “She is an asset to the district, as well as every one of the students that she teaches.”

‘Appreciating Every Little Thing’

Great teachers also make learning fun, even when the lessons being taught could be applied one day in life-or-death situations.

Amanda, a Joliet (Illinois) Patch reader, said her Maj. Philip C. Jayko, her ROTC instructor at Joliet Central High School, “puts his full heart into his students and classes.”

“Every day, you can see that he is someone who truly cares,” she said. “His jokes, stories and life lessons never fail to grab the class’ attention. Major has influenced me to become a better person, and to open my heart up.”

Keep your heads up, she said to America’s teachers.

“I know teaching has gotten harder over the years,” she said. “But I hope you all know some students are still out there, appreciating every little thing. I promise, some of us still care.”

The challenges and rewards of teaching are both tremendous,” said Darcy, the Buffalo Grove Patch reader. “Teacher Appreciation Week should be 52 weeks of the year.”