Ms. Schulze (The Quintessential Teacher)

I had my admission interview at Seattle University this past week. I have applied to the Masters in Teaching program at SU and should know if I am accepted by the second week of April!

In our interview, my group was asked to define what makes an effective teacher, and if the state should grade teacher effectiveness though standardized test scores. If you stop and think about it for a moment, it is incredibly hard to define what makes effective teachers. I feel any teacher can impart some bit of knowledge to their students, but knowledge alone is not what makes a teacher effective.

The best teachers in life do more than pass on their knowledge, they change their students' lives. Thinking back on my high school days, I had some bad teachers, many good teachers, and a few great teachers. I was a good student, but I must have driven my teachers crazy! I had problems with instant gratification, or "Feeding the P.I.G.," as we call it in the group home. I always wanted to be first, wanted the teacher's undivided and immediate attention, and thought the classroom revolved around me and my needs.

On a typical school day during my sophomore year, Ms. Schulze, one of Yankton High's best, influenced me in a way no one had before. Our Creative Writing class was in the library working on a project. My classmates were scattered about the computer lab and Ms. Schulze was working her way around the room answering questions. Feeling that my questions were obviously much more important than anyone else's, I kept interrupting Ms. Schulze as she was working with other students. After about the third interruption Ms. Schulze looked up, paused for a moment, and calmly spoke something I needed to hear.

She said, "Trey, I love you very much and know you want to do well; but, you are not the only person in this class and there are six other people I need to help before I can help you. So please go back to your computer, and I'll get to you in a minute."

In that moment, my blinders were removed, and I finally realized that the world did not revolve around me. Ms. Schulze could have snapped at me and told me to sit down; and, I would have sat down, feelings hurt, and been the same obnoxious person the next day. However, her ability to handle her frustrations and offer positive criticism helped me realize that I needed to relax, take time to solve problems on my own, and be a better classmate.

I know that I am still not as humble or selfless as I should be, but Ms. Schulze helped mold me into not only a better student, but also a better friend, brother, and son. So, thank you Ms. Schulze; I don't believe any standardized test could measure the effectiveness of your pedagogy.

The First Post

Hello to those of you who have chosen to read this blog; welcome.

I feel like many of my new friends don't really know much about me, and my best friends far away know very little of who I am becoming. So, I've decided to blog and share parts of my life I may never have shared with you.

To those who don't know, I grew up in Yankton, South Dakota (not North Dakota). I honestly do not understand why Washingtonians automatically consolidate any Dakota reference to North Dakota. I bet I have told 100 people I am from SD and 95 of them have asked me how North Dakota is the next time I saw them.....ugg. At least they don't think I'm from Mitchell!

Yankton is quite a bit different from Seattle, or Washington in general. It is a "big city," by South Dakota standards, with a population of about 15,000 people. However small it now seems, I loved growing up in Yankton. I feel the best way to describe my hometown is to explain the role of the high school football team in my life. My family would always go to Friday night home games. I can remember walking down the side streets toward the stadium at the age of 7 or 8 and hearing the pep band playing "Iron Man," and thinking how great it would be to play for the mighty Yankton Bucks someday; it was my dream.

It really was every young boy who grew up in Yankton's dream. We played football at recess year-round; picking our favorite players from the varsity team and playing our hearts out in their honor. One might think that the realized dream wouldn't be all we imagined as a kids, but it was. The pride and excitement that follows every football season in Yankton is unmatched. I remember men in our church congregation that would tap me on the shoulders during the service and say, "Great game Friday night, you guys looked like a state championship team." Being a member of our team was like being a celebrity. Young boys with star-struck eyes lined up to give us high-fives out of the locker room, and the "flag boy" would sprint for several blocks alongside our bus hoisting a victory flag high above is head. As a player; you didn't play for personal honor or glory. Rather, you played for your hometown, you played to sing the fight song with your teammates on the way home, and you played to put another championship banner in the gym. You did this because you felt like you were a part of something special, something much bigger than you were alone. And you were.

This is what I miss most about home. The small-town pride and support Yankton has for it's school and students makes it a great place to live and gives the town a strong sense of community. Although I now live in a large metropolitan area (and really enjoy it), I will always look back fondly on my days growing up in the "River City."