Staff Board of Trustees
Students know good teaching and they know when a teacher is important to them. But it often takes the distance of adulthood to be able to identify the impact that those valued educators have made to the appreciative student.
Ask any adult about the important teachers in their life and you will hear wonderful stories. Adults look back on their most valued teachers with affection and admiration. And they invariably have applied the lessons to their own lives, carrying part of those teachers with them.
Each year Reaching Heights invites students and families to participate in the Thank-A-Teacher program to express appreciation to teachers who are in their lives today. In order to project forward the impact of today's teachers on tomorrow's adults we asked community leaders and educators in our district to reflect back on important teachers in their lives.
Please enjoy the stories that follow. They confirm the critical role of teachers to a meaningful and successful education.
The freshman journalism class at Ohio University taught by George Starr Lasher was tough. He demanded precision in the English language and he was a stickler for getting the facts right. He also loved his work. “He was an enthusiastic teacher and a great motivator,” said Rothschild. “He was our Mr. Chips.”
Mayor Rothschild still uses the skills she learned from Lasher as she does much of the writing at city hall. She values the precision and beauty of good crisp writing.
“I always liked school, starting in Kindergarten at Taylor Road School ,” remembers Cleveland Heights Mayor, Ed Kelley. His first teacher, “with her kindness and patience,” made a strong impression. “I had fun in her class and she was very creative.”
In 1990 Kelley started work on a masters degree at the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case. This transition was fun and challenging. Dr. John Yankey was a teacher who readily gave his time and talent to students like Kelley. “He emphasized treating people fairly and taught me the importance of strategic planning,” said Kelley.
Kindness, patience and planning are part of Kelley's approach to public office.
In 1957 Margaret Miles was the only African American teacher at Wilson Junior High in Erie . “I had never seen an African American teacher before,” said Cleveland Heights council member Phyllis Evans. “She was a motivator and a role model.” Mrs. Miles taught seventh grade English and she showed genuine concern for her students and inspired her students to value education.
“When I saw Mrs. Miles in my community, I felt that she stood for something—the value of higher education and community involvement,” remembers Evans. Mrs. Miles and her husband, a pharmacist, participated in community events that introduced children to African American professionals. “She helped me aspire to higher education. I knew that if she did it, that I could too,” said Evans.
Not only did Mrs. Evans pursue higher education, she has followed her inspiring teacher into community service as an active community volunteer and elected official.
Creative, gentle and fun are words that Rev. John Lentz uses to describe Miss Harmony, his first and second grade teacher at Yorktown Elementary School in Arlington , Virginia . “She drove a very cool yellow Mustang. That was important in 1964,” remembers Lentz. Miss Harmony's second grade class performed a mini version of the Nutcracker Suite. “It was a beautiful production, and I got to be the prince, complete with white tights and a crown.”
After an encouraging elementary school teacher helped launch his educational career, it was a high school history teacher who became a true mentor. “Mr. Belaire saw something in me that enabled me to claim my inner gifts and he helped me fall in love with ideas,” recalls Rev. Lentz.
It was in Mr. Belaire's history class that Lentz had his first honest and deep conversations about the Vietnam War. “He did not just present the facts. We discussed how people organize themselves to understand political, historical, and cultural issues.” This kind of discussion and appreciation of complexity continue to be an important part of how Lentz approaches his work and involvement in the community.
Reverend Kevin James credits four teachers with helping him develop discipline, leadership, and a love of literature and music.
Mrs. Green, his third grade teacher in Little Rock , Arkansas , was tough. “She got me before I had a chance to get bad. She made me sit up and pay attention in school. That changed me,” remembers Rev. James.
Three teachers at historic Little Rock Central High School pushed him to excel and encouraged him to develop his interests and talents. “Mr. Hardy was very creative in his selection of literature and his assignments,” said James. His English class read Watership Down and James created a newspaper about the rabbit world. “Mr. Hardy made me want to work hard and get good grades,” continued James.
Mr. Fletcher is credited with encouraging Rev. James' music talent and his leadership skills. The instrumental music teacher encouraged him to pursue his interest in giving high school musicians the opportunity to perform for students during lunch time. “Mr. Fletcher went to bat for students. He helped us negotiate with the school administration to make the Musicians League happen.”
Another high school teacher also helped the young musician pursue a college education. The art teacher owned a recording studio where James recorded a demo tape that helped him win a Downbeat Magazine scholarship to the University of Memphis.
Many of Sr. Linda Martin's goals for students at Gesu School can be traced to the influence of two of her elementary school teachers at St. Charles Catholic School in Parma.
Sister Linda describes her second grade teacher Sister Lucy as, “Christ like. She was loving, patient and kind.” The combination of Sister Lucy's words and deeds showed the future nun that God and education are important, lessons Sister Linda tries to pass on to her students.
“Mrs. Kuehlman believed that I could excel as a student so I believed it too,” remembers Sister Linda describing the powerful influence of her third grade teacher. “As a teacher and administrator, I want to instill the same things in Gesu students.”
Marc Aden, REAL School Prinicpal, Heights High
Mark Aden is a third generation teacher and he recognizes his parents and grand parents as his first role models.
His mother, a pre-school teacher, would greet each student with a smile and a robust "Good Morning," a practice he follows to this day. said Aden. His father and grandfather, both ministers, taught Aden to treat people kindly and to be firm but fair. Everybody is important.
Harold Kimball was the track coach at John F. Kennedy high school in Cleveland and he encouraged his athletes to excel. "He told us that we are better than we think we are and that we should never give up on working toward our goal." He valued education and encouraged all of his team to work for college scholarships.
After Aden graduated from Kent State University, he went back to visit the coach. "He asked me if I had my degree, and I said yes. The coach stopped practice and announced to the team that this young man had just received his college degree," said Aden.
Kent State University professor Mwatabu Okantah taught the Black Experience class and challenged Aden to think about how to make a difference in the world. "He told us that in the 70's, one in 10 African Americans did not finish their college degree at KSU. He told us that if we do graduate, we have a responsibility to pass along the skills and knowledge about how to succeed in this world."
James Reed, Renaissance School Principal, Heights High
James Reed followed in his parents footsteps. Both were educated as teachers, his mother taught in Cleveland Public Schools but when his father interviewed for a teaching job, he was told that the district did not hire black men. "That was in the 1940's, my father worked for the US Post Office after that," said Reed.
His fifth grade teacher, Miss Marshall, recognized one of his strengths, hand writing. Reed wrote all of the assignments on the board and was the class scribe. "That made me feel important," said Reed.
At Shaker Heights High School, history and government teacher Dr. Graham gave his students insight into the political process. "He actually ran for congress while he was teaching-talk about a real life civics lesson," said Reed. "He made government come alive for us." Reed went on to study sociology and political science in college and taught social studies in middle school and high school, in part because of the inspiration of Dr. Graham.
Janet Tribble, Principal, PRIDE School, Heights High
Janet Tribble had chicken pox in kindergarten and when she returned to school after her illness she experienced a warm welcome. "Mrs Cunnmiller hugged me and said that she had missed me!" said Tribble. "That felt so good, to be loved like that, I decided that I wanted to be a teacher to make other kids feel welcome and important."
Mr. Frate taught chemistry at John Adams High School. He was a master of his subject matter and had a wonderful philosophy of life. He taught his students to work hard. "He started each day with a joke and then we got down to business," said Tribble. "He made science relevant to me and made me want to learn."
After graduating from college, Tribble returned to John Adams to teach. The principal at the school, R.T. Krough, was her mentor. "His leadership set the tone for the school. He taught me that decisions must be shared, that you must be nurturing and that you should roll your sleeves up and dig into the work," she continued. Tribble applies these values in her role as principal for he PRIDE School.
Darcel Williams, Administrative Prinicpal, Heights High
Darcel William's fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Pearsaw, had high standards and "She made us feel special so we worked very hard." Mrs. Pearsaw expected her students to be successful. "Her attitude was-you will succeed," said Williams.
When Mrs. Pearsaw gave a complement, you know you earned it. "She expected you to work hard and when you did and you accomplished something, she was enthusiastic in her praise," said Williams. "She gave the most wonderful big hugs. We loved that."
A testament to Mrs. Pearsaw's work with students at St. Simon Episcopal School in Lincoln Heights, Ohio was seen at her funeral. "There were so many of her students there. They were all touched by her work," said Williams.
Tom Schmida, Social Studies teacher, Heights High School and CH-UH Teachers Union President
When Tom Schmida was in ninth grade he loved to discuss books with other students. That was the effect that Brother Jerome, a Brother of the Holy Cross at Akron 's Archbishop Hoban High School , had on his students. “He had a way of asking questions that really sparked our interest and made us think about the ideas in literature. When I look back on it, I realize that he was using the Socratic discussion method,” said Schmida.
In both ninth grade and twelfth grade Schmida was in Brother Jerome's literature class and saw the skilled teacher connect literature to the social issues of the day. He made literature relevant to teenagers. “We read Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story , which are basically the same story,” he said.
Some of the most important books in Schmida's teen years were not on Brother Jerome's reading list - like Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies – but the influence of the powerful teacher fueled Schmida's interest in learning history through literature.
