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Richard Moses, Director of Choral Activities in the Altoona School District, wrote the following letter to describe Deb Tackmann. Tackmann is one of 35 educators nationally who received the 2001 American Teacher Award from Disney Co.
A Woman for All Seasons
Talented, caring, dedicated,hard-working, giving, organized, tireless, selfless, & loving. These are only a few of the adjectives that describe the incredible teacher I've known for the past five years, Deb Tackmann.
This fall she was recognized by the Disney Corporation as one of the best teachers in the country. I first met Deb in the spring of 1997 when she introduced herself as the mother of one of my students, Brian. He was a freshman tenor in my choir and show choir and she wanted to offer her help in any way that she could. I thought that was nice and I accepted her offer. Little did I know that would be one of the smartest decisions I ever made.
But first, I'd like to share with you what Deb Tackmann is like. Ms.
Tackmann is an award winning health teacher at Eau Claire North High School
with a gift for communication and inspiration and an endless well of energy
for her profession.
She has influenced thousands of young people in a positive way for years by educating and encouraging them to make wise and healthy decisions about eating, drinking, smoking, drugs, and sex. She informs students through multiple ingenious teaching techniques as well as by example.
She even rails against the evils of coffee and caffeine - a position in which I disagree with completely, but nobody's perfect. If I hear one more time about my loss of thiamin and calcium, I believe I will scream.
Anyway, I digress. Deb travels around the country to give clinics and seminars on a variety of health and other related subjects. Also, she is an expert in the art of teaching itself and teaching techniques. She is widely sought after by many different schools, education groups, and businesses. You could say she's a "big wig" in the education world.
When Deb began helping with the show choir, I know about none of these wonderful qualities she possessed. My experiences with her have been on an entirely different level. What qualities I saw and continue to see are as follows. Deb is talented. She has much experience in performing and dancing.
While I did a good deal of performing, I knew almost nothing about dance. My experience was limited to community theater productions where the most strenuous move was simple tap or "step-ball-step." What else I knew, I picked up from the veteran students. In a word, I was clueless.
I knew little about levels, windows, formations, jazz hands, blades, etc., etc., etc., and even less about teaching proper technique in such matters. Keep in mind, I am the director of this show choir group thingymabob. Deb must have picked up on my inexperience in dance matters and took pity on me. That was the first thing I learned about Deb. She will be the first person to offer assistance when someone else is in distress. Brother, was I in distress.
This brings me to caring and dedication. Deb is the kind of person who offers help, when she knows it will take a good deal of her time and energy. I qualify that as being very caring and dedicated to the profession of teaching.
She spends many Sunday afternoons with my students helping with cleaning dance moves, positioning, formations, and other related tasks to help them succeed. She cares not that she is unpaid or that she sees her family less or that she could be doing other things less strenuous. No. She cares about students and teaching.
Hardworking. In addition to many Sunday afternoons, Deb accompanies myself and the group to all the Saturday competitions trips which can start as early as 4:00am and end as late as 3:30am the next morning. We go to at least six every year plus two exhibitions.
She actively participates in every aspect of the process including organizer, mover, make-up artist, nurse, counselor, and confidant. She is an essential member of our crew and is greatly missed on those rare occasions when she's unable to attend.
Furthermore, she is a committee chair for our own competition that we host in March. Did I mention that she doesn't get paid any money at all? Also, did I mention that Deb Tackmann is a full-time award-winning teacher at North High School? Did I mention, that my group is in the Altoona School District? Hard-working, giving, tireless and selfless.
Finally, Deb Tackmann is loving. She does all this work and dedicates herself so because she loves her family very much such as her son, Brian, and her other sons, John and Michael, who have come after. But she loves the rest of her family, too. She loves her extended family of all the show choir members who are in the program, as well as the members who have moved on and the members yet to come. She even loves her temperamental, stressed-out, disorganized, weird friend who directs this group.
Words do not do justice to this wonderful woman. I hope at least, you have a better clue of what a treasure North and Altoona High School have.
Deb Tackmann won my outstanding teacher award years ago. Now, Disney has finally caught on. It's about time!
Richard Moses
Director of Choral Activities
Altoona School District