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Ron Huisheere, Green Bay
6/3/2009 9:17:35 AM
At Franklin Middle School in Green Bay, Ron Huisheere has the oldest eighth-grader in his math class – himself. Huisheere, who has taught at the school for 23 years, doesn’t just identify with his early teenage students. He sees himself as almost trapped in that age.
“I am the oldest eighth-grader in the school. I had great eighth-grade teachers while I was growing up. Those teachers taught me not to be afraid, to be a leader, to do my best, and to enjoy school. So it was just natural for me to be drawn to this grade level,” Huisheere says.
That means Huisheere is making pop-culture references his students will get, and trying some way to tie it all into math lessons.
“I do not believe that I could use the same techniques – if you call my humor a technique – exactly the same in another building. I have been at Franklin since 1986, and the building has molded me into the teacher that I presently am. I love it here and plan on being buried in locker 1301, next to my door,” he says.
But his devotion to reaching students doesn’t end at jokes. Huisheere is known to “act bizarre” as he puts it – making wild gestures with his hands or props and inflecting his voice to drive his lessons home. His method was influenced by a movie that came out soon after he started teaching.
“It goes back to the movie ‘Stand and Deliver.’ I saw the movie dozens of times, and I realized that ‘traditional methods’ do not work with most students. I teach in a very non-traditional school, so if I wanted to get the curriculum across I had to use different methods. It took awhile to find the ‘right balance’ of classroom antics, participation, practice, and lecture,” he says.
Huisheere, a father of three, says that a great school is one where “teamwork, communication and a teaching staff are all working toward the same goal.” He also says the energy of his students reminds him every year why he got into the profession.
“Being around students every day brings me back to my days as a student. I loved school. I loved teachers that engaged, pushed, entertained, and gave me a love of learning. I see that same look in so many eyes every day. That is what I live for as a teacher,” he says.
Huisheere is an avid runner who ran in his first marathon 30 years ago. He recently has been running the 8.5 miles home from school in preparation for half-marathons he plans to run with his eldest son.
The focus and stamina he applies to running can be applied to the lessons he tries to impart to his students.
“Learning never stops,” he says. “Learning can be fun, exciting. And success comes from hard work and perseverance.”
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