*Teacher: English Language Arts*
By: Morgan Blechschmid and Danielle Shehee
December 18, 2020
Miss Holly Heiple is a sixth grade Language Arts teacher and the Student Council Advisor at the Brooklyn School. Heiple is a caring teacher and enjoys seeing the interaction between her students, as well as being able to interact with them herself. She has a very joyful personality and loves bringing a positive attitude to her classroom in order to help her students become comfortable with working together.
Q: What is your favorite part about being a teacher?
A: “One of my favorite parts about being a teacher is getting to see my students grow up and mature! Now that we are all on one campus, I get to see former students in the hallways and assemblies. I also love sharing my love for reading. It’s so wonderful when I can inspire a student to try a book, and they end up loving it! Plus, my students are always recommending good books to me! I get to know a variety of different series that way.”
Q: What are the pros and cons for you with online learning/teaching?
A: “Online teaching has its pros and cons, of course. There have been advances in technology for teaching, and this really gives everyone the opportunity to try some of them out. One of the advantages of online teaching is that it has allowed students to feel much more confident about speaking out and participating. I think it doesn’t feel as though they are in a large group of people when you are in the safety of their own space. On the other hand, I miss the real interaction you can have with a student by sitting down next to them to go over work or offer help. Another con is that it forces students and staff to just sit for way too long! I’m used to being able to walk around my classroom when I’m teaching and having my students up and moving to work with partners. Of course right now with social distancing, that hasn’t been happening in the classroom anyway.”
Q: If you could choose another career, what would it be and why?
A: “I don’t know that I would want any other career than teaching, but I do have a lot of hobbies. I love technology, so I am teaching some older adults how to use their computers with helpful programs like Quicken and Zoom. I love horses, so I would like to teach children how to ride and take care of them. I love gardening, painting, and doing crafts, so that may be fun to teach others as well.”
Q: Who has been your biggest inspiration? Why?
A: “One of my biggest inspirations as a child was my kindergarten teacher. When I was in sixth-grade, she used to let me come in early before school to help her set up her classroom. I also used to draw posters for her classroom and help tutor some of her kids during my lunch/recess break. As a beginning teacher, my biggest inspiration was my principal. She was always helpful and kind. She knew how to talk to people to help them grow as individuals.”
Q: What are some life goals you want to achieve?
A: “One of my lifetime goals is to travel to many different countries. I have been to many countries in Europe, but I have never been to Ireland, and I would love to see the castles. Also, I want to see Machu Picchu and the Great Pyramids! Some day! Meanwhile, I am working on getting my PhD. See, even grown-up teachers go to school!”
Thank you, Miss Heiple! We hope that you have a great Christmas vacation and a terrific start to the upcoming new year.
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 