OUTSTANDING SCHOOL TEACHER

OUTSTANDING SCHOOLTEACHER
Phil Seck Sacred Heart-Griffin High School Voted the Best of Springfield is Sacred Heart- Griffin’s freshman English teacher Phil Seck. He is somewhat of a legend for being a bit on the strict side. Is it earned? “If by strict you mean firm, fair, with high expectations, then great. You earn that.” His Best Of voting students agree. “Mr. Seck can be very strict and expects a lot out of you, but if you just shut up and listen you will figure out that he is like that because he cares about his students and wants them to do well.” He got into teaching because he had teachers just like him. “I had a speech teacher in high school who said there were two options for me: comedy or teaching. Without that nudge, I may never have gone into this.” His favorite part of teaching: “When the students’ light bulb goes off and all of a sudden, they get it. It’s theirs.”

HONORABLE MENTION
Meri Havernar McClernand Elementary Teaching special needs kids has long been important to Meri Havernar. “In college, I started in speech pathology, and seeing the kids with developmental disabilities, I just wanted to get more involved.” Involved is exactly what she’s been as the K-2 special education teacher at McClernand. In her current class, she teaches 11 kids, with disabilities ranging from learning disorders to cognitive and developmental delays. It certainly takes a strong person to handle the emotional side of this kind of teaching. “The work is so motivating, but can be very emotional because you work so hard for their success and for their families.” To Meri, it’s worth it. “Watching them progress, and eventually move into general education, those little steps to success, it’s exciting.”

HONORABLE MENTION
Jennifer Allender Owen Marsh Elementary It is common for people to underestimate special needs children, especially for those who have never spent much time around them. Jennifer Allender is trying to change that. Teaching K-2 special education, Allender teaches a cross-categorical group of kids, a “variety of diverse learners,” and she knows that just because they learn differently or are disabled, it doesn’t make then un-able. “They’re very capable, but in different ways. If you tell me they can’t, I’m going to show you they can.” Luckily, she’s not alone in this. Working with four oneon-one classroom aides, she’s been able to help her students grow through education. “Even when I don’t win, if I can make a difference for one day, make them love learning, it’s worth it.”

HONORABLE MENTION
Josh Lee Riverton Middle School In his positions as Riverton Middle School’s P.E. teacher, health teacher, and the head coach of the Riverton High School football team, Josh Lee estimates that he spends around 60 hours a week with his students. “I care about the kids, in and out of school. I spend a lot of time with them and get to know them pretty well.” As well he should. His first eighth-graders are now juniors in high school, and he’s one of the few teachers to get to work with some of them all the way through. “Having kids in two classes and coaching, I see them in the classroom setting and in sports. I see all sides of them, and they see all sides of me. Not many get that chance.”