Heather Schulz – Windridge Elementary

I am nominating Heather Schulz for the teacher feature because of her ability to help kids reach their potential. Through her compassion and caring these children excel and reach long-term success. Some teachers are considerate and kind but provide little scholastic challenge. Miss Schulz is capable of both. The children know she cares deeply for them while expecting their very best work and success.

Miss Schulz teaches sixth grade at Windridge Elementary where she somehow gives each child a unique, personalized experience. This is no small feat as she often has classes over thirty students. These children come away prepared and encouraged for their transition to junior high school. She promotes hard work and commitment to achieve. She shares her love of math and reading. She shares her compassion. This is not limited to our family. Those who have been lucky enough to have her recognize that she is a gift to each family who has a student in her classroom. We call her a teacher, but a mentor is a better description. Every week former students come to see Miss Schulz or be tutored by her. Her gift of teaching is not limited to those in her classroom. She continues to watch over those who have left. Three of our children have had Miss Schulz as their teacher and we continue to see her influence.

The best example of her talent is evident through our son on the autism spectrum. While he was in the fifth grade, Miss Schulz helped him through a bullying situation. She helped resolve this and helped him feel better about himself. As his teacher in sixth grade she challenged him to excel. His end of level scores had been low at the end of fifth grade. This did not deter Miss Schulz. She adopted the attitude of “let’s see what he can do.” With her determination our son rose to the occasion. He memorized multiple poems. He read 40 books across a wide range of genres. He met his math goals. He learned parts of speech. In every way he performed what was required. Best of all, he was able to show proficiency—in every area— in his end level testing.

I felt that I needed to nominate Miss Schulz this year as I have watched our son’s progress in junior high school, especially because I continue to see the fruits of her labors. As he has gone through the year we continue to have experiences where he states, “I learned this with Miss Schulz.” He can recall they very material needed. This is evidence of a master teacher. Heather Schulz is truly an outstanding teacher and mentor.

–Amy Gray