Four Honored as Teachers of the Year
From the Department of Public Instruction
“Those who dedicate their lives to teaching children—helping
them develop a love of learning—have a profound impact on the young
people in their care and on the communities they serve,” said State
Superintendent John T. Benson as he announced the 1998 Teachers of the
Year.
The four individuals, who Benson called “representative of Wisconsin’s
outstanding teaching corps,” were chosen by a statewide selection
committee from a pool of 88 public school teachers who received Kohl Teacher
Fellowships.
They are:
- Elementary Teacher of the Year – Carol Cardinal, a fifth-grade
teacher at Lac du Flambeau Elementary School;
- Middle School Teacher of the Year – Lauren Mittermann
of Fish Creek, a sixth-grade teacher at Gibraltar Elementary School;
- High School Teacher of the Year – Richard Hryniewicki
of Greendale, a history teacher at Cudahy High School; and
- Special Services Teacher of the Year - Gwen Robl of Madison,
a speech and language clinician at Waunakee Intermediate School.
Selection for the Teacher of the Year program emphasizes instructional
leadership and the ability to inspire and motivate students. One of the
1998 Teachers of the Year will later be selected as Wisconsin’s representative
to the National Teacher of the Year program.
Carol Cardinal
Although a resident of the Lac du Flambeau area for only a few years,
Cardinal is already an integral and well-respected member of the community.
Calling on her years of experience in theater, storytelling, and drama,
Cardinal developed and directs the Native Roots Theatre Troupe, an intergenerational
community theater group that creates and performs pieces sharing the Ojibwe
culture. Actors from toddler age through 80 have exploded stereotypes
in performances throughout the Midwest and as far east as Virginia.
In her classroom, Cardinal creates a community of learners, stressing
exploration and respect. “Whenever possible, I try to incorporate
students’ suggestions for projects.” Her philosophy for students
is to “pique their curiosity, get them started on an avenue of interest,
build their confidence, provide a feeling of excitement and adventure
while at the same time providing a feeling of comfort and safety.”
Cardinal advocates that every child is born wanting to learn. “It
is our job in schools to avoid extinguishing that desire or to rekindle
the flame if it has been snuffed out.” She cites a student who missed
school 75 percent of the time the previous year who now wouldn’t
miss a day unless he’s really sick. “He volunteers for everything
and has become a very eager learner…. Something about this approach
is working.”
A co-worker, Anne Wewasson, says of Cardinal, “I have the lucky
experience of teaching the group of students that she taught last year.
They work together more cooperatively than any other class I currently
teach.”
Cardinal holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is working toward a Master of Fine Arts in
theater from Northwestern University. Prior to working in Lac du Flambeau,
she was director of curriculum development for Creative Education Associates,
serving as an artist in residence, workshop leader, and drama consultant.
Cardinal was on the theater faculty at Carthage College in Kenosha and
also taught in Brookfield, Kenosha, Racine, and Lake Forest, Ill.
Lauren Mittermann
Mittermann’s extensive background in writing as a published poet
and freelance writer coupled with her position as a language arts and
social studies teacher set the stage for her to receive a grant from the
National Geographic Foundation for training to be come a Wisconsin geographic
teacher consultant. A favored technique to keep students motivated makes
Mittermann her “own substitute teacher.” “I become the
Egyptian Pharaoh Hatshepsut, Sophia from Ancient Greece, or the poet Christina
Pisan from the Middle Ages. My students know that when they have a ‘sub’
the day will be filled with unexpected surprises.”
Her classroom is organized to put students in charge of their own learning.
They are expected to respect the knowledge of their peers and to ask another
student before asking the teacher. Mittermann says her role is to make
herself obsolete by encouraging her students to build on their own problem-solving
abilities.
A parent of a medically fragile child says she has much to be grateful
for through Mittermann’s teaching. “She never missed a golden
opportunity to involve our son with his community and peers. Where once
children shunned him because they were afraid of him, they now embraced
him, accepted him, and loved him as their friend.”
Mittermann holds degrees in education from Illinois State University
in Normal and Viterbo College in La Crosse. Prior to working in the sixth-grade
classroom, she was a special education, Chapter 1 mathematics, and migrant
education teacher, also in Gibraltar. Additionally, she taught in Naperville
and Chicago, Ill., and worked for 10 years as a freelance writer and newspaper
correspondent.
Richard Hryniewicki
“I learn new things each day as my students and I journey together
through the adventure we call learning. History is basically human beings
making decisions for which there are consequences; thus, my students are
creating ‘history’ for themselves every day with the decisions
they make. I constantly attempt to get them to see the parallels between
world history, U.S. history, community history, and their own ‘history’.
Some of our best lessons result from comparing and contrasting current
events to historical events we have studied.”
Hryniewicki credits training at the Advanced Placement Seminar at Illinois
State University in 1990 with updating his knowledge on new trends for
teaching gifted students as well as helping him work with special education
and at-risk students. He introduced the first Advanced Placement course
at Cudahy High School and says he has “drawn from the commonalties
that all history courses share to develop a program for teaching low achievers.”
“His enthusiasm, innovativeness, and genuine concern for social
studies is exemplary,” said Bernard Schmidt, Cudahy High School principal.
“Richard’s flexibility in working with students, teachers, and
the public has earned him an enviable reputation as an excellent teacher
who truly cares about people. His caring attitude and superior knowledge
make him effective with students at all levels of abilities.”
Hryniewicki holds bachelor’s and masters’ degrees in history
from Marquette University in Milwaukee and has done additional studies
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Milwaukee as well as at
Alverno College in Milwaukee, McPherson College in Kansas, and Cardinal
Stritch College in Milwaukee. Prior to teaching at Cudahy High School,
he taught world cultures at Cudahy Junior High School and taught at St.
Mary’s Academy in Milwaukee and Brown Deer High School.
Gwen Robl
Robl says her classroom is bright, cozy, and inviting in an effort to
create a secure environment that stimulates students with disabilities,
who many times have been unsuccessful learners. She stresses the importance
of respect for individual differences and characteristics that make each
student unique. “Wow; Way to go; Thumbs up; and Yes” are frequent
motivational cues to reinforce her students.
“Professional growth is an ongoing challenge that expands my thinking
and opens new horizons.” Robl cites nonprofessionals as some of the
most excellent teachers. “I learned the meaning of human courage
from the tenacity shown by many of my handicapped students. Parents have
taught me the importance of functional skills, inclusion, and appropriate
education settings.”
“Gwen is an outstanding professional who is involved in every aspect
of our school community,” says Chris Hetzel, Waunakee Intermediate
School principal. “As special education department chair, she has
a number of important responsibilities. Her greatest contribution is her
cheerleader approach to leadership. Her words of praise, advice, and wisdom
really make a difference.” Additionally, Hetzel cited Robl’s
sensitivity to the needs of all children saying she is “a master
at finding the purpose of each lesson and relating it to the needs of
her students.”
Robl has been with the Waunakee School District since 1976, teaching
in early childhood and preschool programs all the way through high school
age. Prior to coming to Waunakee, she worked in the Barneveld School District
and served preschool through 12th grade students in the Iowa-Grant and
Fennimore school districts. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communicative
disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a master’s,
also in communicative disorders, from UW-Madison.
For more information about the Teachers of the Year program, contact
Dean Gagnon at DPI, (608) 267-9255
Posted September 11, 1998