Column: Mary Hinnenkamp, Guest Column

I am a believer in heroes. Always have been.

That’s why when I recently heard that Nelson Mandela was hospitalized, my heart sank.

Here is a man who spent 27 years in prison in South Africa in opposition to an oppressive government. And when Mandela emerged from that prison, he led the fight for democracy, became South Africa’s president and then led the Reconciliation Movement between black and white, oppressed and oppressor.

Mandela is an international hero, representing those qualities I admire so much: courage, determination, integrity and a commitment to the well being of others. He is an inspiration to us all.

But one doesn’t need to look so far as South Africa to find heroes. I believe heroes walk among us every day. I think all of us see personal heroes in our lives. As a child, my heroes were my mother, a brother and my teacher, Mrs. Finken.

At present, as a teacher, I see those qualities of courage, determination, integrity and a commitment to the well being of others in the people I work with every day. I have watched teachers who come early and stay late to work with struggling students. I know of many teachers who sacrifice time with their families to prepare lessons or work with kids, who spend their own money on classroom supplies or on those things that make a classroom feel like a warm and safe place. I know of many teachers who go way beyond professional responsibilities to help the students in their classrooms.

And I am not the only one who notices. Each year, parents, colleagues and students recognize these excellent teachers by nominating them for Albert Lea Teacher of the Year.

This year more than 40 Albert Lea teachers were nominated for this honor. Teachers were nominated for having qualities of great teachers such as “dedicated and compassionate,” “loving, caring and hard working,” “encouraging,” “brave,” “creative,” “strong,” “committed,” “gentle” and “patient.”

Teachers and parents admire the skilled teacher who has “meaningful activities for her students,” who “intrinsically challenges her students to achieve their goal,” who “has high expectations,” who is “courageous in her love for social studies and the students she teaches,” who “allows her students the opportunities to be creative” and “who embraces alternative techniques, ideas and methodologies.”

One teacher, writing about a fellow teacher that he admired, said such teachers “inspire you to work harder, to care more and to strive to be the best teacher you can be.” And along with all of these qualities and strategies, students admire those teachers who make school fun.

Recently, the New York Times published the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, which examines, among other things, teacher morale. It indicates that teacher morale is the lowest it has been in 20 years. The article points to a list of causes such as budget cuts and increased class sizes.

Although Albert Lea is not immune to these problems, this is not the stuff of teacher conversations that I hear at teacher meetings or after school. What I hear teachers talk about is their excitement about a lesson that really worked well, or about a struggling student who finally “got it.”

We teachers are an optimistic lot. We tend to see each day as a new beginning and each class of students as having great potential. Maybe that’s one more reason I see teachers as heroes: regardless of the situation, they have the ability to remain optimistic and hopeful for themselves and their students.

On Wednesday the Albert Lea Teacher of the Year Committee will announce the next Teacher of the Year at a reception at the Albert Lea High School Commons. As always, with all of the talented teachers in the district, I’m sure it will be a difficult choice.

 

Mary Hinnenkamp is on the Teacher of the Year Committee for Albert Lea Area Schools.