Tom Heiser

I am Tom Heiser and I live in Salem. I was nominated by Waldo Middle School. I have taught from 1967 to the present, 2012, for a total of 44 or 45 years. 

Substitute teaching is a great experience because of a great variety of teaching that we get to do. One never knows what the day will bring. Maybe it will be Science to Social Studies, or English or another language. It is a great challenge. We also have the challenge of meeting new children who are in our classrooms. Finding out their specific needs and personalities and then teaching so they will understand is another challenge. Having the freedom to choose when and where we will teach is a joy. I consider substitute teaching as closer to pure teaching then being full time in the classroom.

Looking back over the time I had been sub of the year is a fond memory. I was presented at the sub conference first. The second place that recognized the award was at the Salem/Keizer School Board meeting. The assistant superintendent actually made the announcement, She also mentioned it at the fall in-service for subs. Receiving the letter from the governor is something I show with pride. I was presented to the Senate of the state by my senator, who was also the president of the Senate. We were announced by the House of Representatives as well. I was recognized by the Statesman Journal twice and also written up by the alumnae magazine at Biola University. My children also said they knew it all along.

Teaching has been a discovery for me. I did not plan to be a teacher when I was in college. My father suggested that I become a teacher and my response was that I would never be a teacher! I married into a family of educators and they suggested I substitute teach while applying for other jobs. I fell into a full time teaching job by shear chance and found that, much to my amazement, I truly loved teaching. I also like working with teachers. Teachers are future thinkers and love children as do I. Teachers are idealistic as well which I admire. The most interesting days are those where one can change the attitude of a student who is discouraged to a feeling of success. I remember one day I had a middle school low math classroom. When one girl came in she sat in the back, folded her arms showing that it wasn’t her favorite place to be. I passed out a division facts quiz, gave the instructions, and the class started to work on it, except the girl in the back. I walked back and asked why, and she said she couldn’t do them. I asked if she knew her times tables. She said she did. So I showed her the inverse operation of division and got her started. She sat up and worked hard on the paper all period. At least for one day in that girls time in math she was successful, and so was I. I floated out of the classroom. Which is why I love teaching and hope to continue for years to come.