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"I've grown up in a world surrounded by teachers -- education is my life," said Ryan Kitzmiller, a Student WEA member who will do his classroom internship next spring.
Ryan grew up in the little town of Bristol and is a 1992 graduate of Westosha Central High School in Paddock Lake. His mother teaches English and Journalism at Union Grove High School and his father teaches Technology Education at Tremper High School in Kenosha.
"I want to teach because I believe it's a really important thing to do, and I believe that I have what it takes to do the job well." |
"I had many wonderful teachers in grade school and at Central and many of the trips my family took in my younger years were educationally related. So, the idea of becoming a teacher myself didn't just pop into my head. It's something that has grown up with me," Ryan said.
"I want to teach because I believe it's a really important thing to do, and I believe that I have what it takes to do the job well," he said.
To Ryan, teaching is the art of linking learners with knowledge.
"The challenge is that there is no one way to reach an entire class. Every person learns at different speeds and in different ways. To be a good teacher, one needs to be familiar with each of his students and to know which approaches to learning are best suited to the student's needs," he said.
Doing well in school wasn't always a priority for Ryan.
"I went through school having a lot more potential than I ever showed," he admitted. "I did all the typical things to try to get away with not doing an assignment, and I found that they didn't work. Then in college I began taking some pride in my classroom work and it grew from there. With that kind of personal experience, I might just be able to reach kids," he said smiling.
Ryan began his college career at UW-Whitewater and transferred to UW-Parkside where he is pursuing a geography major. His teaching certification will be in broad field Social Studies.
"I've decided to do my intern teaching next spring when I won't have any other classes to attend. That way I can devote all my time to that experience," he said. "That's the way the School of Education likes to plan it. Most people don't realize all of the preparation it takes to obtain a teaching license in Wisconsin. But when I graduate, I feel reasonably sure that I'll have a great base of preparation that will serve me and my students well."
Ryan cites one particular course, Schools in a Multicultural Society, as "really eye-opening."
"We are learning more and more about how human beings learn, how they process information, and why the patterns and processes sometimes break down. If you are going to be a teacher, you simply have to be aware of all the new research." |
"I volunteer time at the Lincoln Neighborhood Community Center in Kenosha. It's a place for kids of all ages and all backgrounds who live in that neighborhood. I've really been able to apply some of the understandings I got from the class to the situations I encountered at the center. It all seemed to come together," he said.
Another course that loomed large in Ryan's college experience was one called The Exceptional Youth and Child.
"My girlfriend will graduate this spring with teaching certification in Learning Disabilities. At least now I can talk knowledgeably with her," he said.
Then he quickly added, "Seriously, we are learning more and more about how human beings learn, how they process information, and why the patterns and processes sometimes break down. If you are going to be a teacher, you simply have to be aware of all the new research."
Another facet of education that has stimulated Ryan's creativity is technology. He recently used various mediums to present material to one of his college classes.
"Technology has really opened my eyes to the possibilities. It is the future, and I want to help students consciously become life-long learners as rapidly as they can," he said.
"My mom has always said that there are 'students' and then there are 'kids who come to school.' I used to be one of the latter and now I count myself in the other group," Ryan said. "That is one perspective I hope to bring to my classroom."
Over the next five years fully one-third of the present classroom teachers in Wisconsin's public schools will retire. Many educators wonder what will become of our state's premier public school system -- a system that has put Wisconsin students at the top of so many national measurements.
They wonder if the current revenue caps and the resulting stunted salaries will adversely affect the crop of new teachers. Will we still attract the brightest and the best? many ask.
Wisconsin can only hope that there will be an abundance of new teachers who have the same talents, aspirations, and desire to make a positive difference for children as Ryan Kitzmiller. He is clearly what "building on the best" is all about.
Posted June 11, 1997