Friday, June 2
A guest editorial…………………………………………………
Have you ever seen how excited kids are when they see Mike? They run into his arms, so happy to see him feeling incredibly special and important. Mike encourages treats them with respect, gives them his full attention and encourages them to do their best- an incredible skill. Mike is the quintessential teacher! He has influenced so many kids: siblings, stepchildren, nieces, nephews, friend’s kids and certainly thousands of middle schoolers. What kid doesn’t want to play, play and play some more, with Mike?
Every once in a while, when we are out and about: downtown, at dinner, grocery shopping, riding our bikes or at some event, I hear a yell “Mr. Heil!” I refer to these as “Mr. Heil Moments!” Two of my favorites stand out:
A father with tears welling up in his eyes…….I can’t thank you enough for giving my daughter the confidence to do math, it has built her self-esteem incredibly.
A genuinely excited middle school boy…….It’s not every day a kid wants to introduce his buddy to his middle school math teacher at the Oregon Country Fair.
Many of the kids he inspired over the years are now adults, starting to have kids of their own. I asked some of those “kids” to write a little something to explain how Mike has been an influence in their lives. The response was incredible! I compiled all of these replies into a picture book which I’ve attached here as a PDF. (click here)
I recently gave this book to Mike. We rode our bikes to the river, sat on the grass in the warm sunshine and he read the whole book out loud to me. He was blown away! We cried, we laughed and were incredibly touched by what everyone wrote.
Unfortunately the PDF doesn’t have the same elegance as opening a book and turning pages, nonetheless all the text and photos are there for you to view. As you scroll down keep in mind that the same color pages are side by side in the book.
For those of you who still want to contribute and a get Mike a message, please email it to me with a photo or two (lauriebernstein@hotmail.com). I’m thinking volume 2 is already in the works.
While creating the book I started to think how Mike has influenced me over the last 17 years. As we’ve lived together he has challenged some of my habits and helped me grow in many positive ways. I am truly happier being the person I am because of him. Most importantly, he has taught me how to love. Under his influence we have created an incredible relationship, something neither of us ever takes for granted.
How lucky I am that he chose me!!!
I love that guy!
-Laurie
WOW! What a testament to love, to Mike, to the joy he brings to so many lives (mine too!) Thank for for sharing this wonderful tribute!
Ahhhh, how sweet! Mike has also influenced many, many adults, such as myself too. Will there be an “Adult Version” Volume 3 or is volume 2 open to “us kids’ at heart”? Laurie, I get what you are saying about becoming a “better & happier person” under Mike’s influence. I too have learned and grown having him in my life. I know that all of us are learning from Mike about this “all consuming disease” and more than what one wishes for themselves…..the struggles of daily life and keeping things positive. I don’t think I know many people who could do this thing with the attitude that he has. Mike and Laurie, you both are quite a team! In fact, I think you are both PERFECT! With much love and admiration…..again…kt
Thank you for doing this Laurie! It is precious. Mikey- what a nice snapshot of your life with kids, and of that kid in you that never ever has lost his sense of PLAY and exuberance for life! The picture of the moving van- you with Jacob and Matt with Jenna, is typical of the kind of friend you are. Friends will help you move, but how many “will go the extra mile(s)” and drive from Eugene to Holland, MI!
Great story Laurie – Even on my occasional visits to Eugene I have witnessed this. Here’s a story of Mike’s impact on bigger students and one flailing instructor…
It was the first day of school and I was feeling a little anxious. This time I was at the head of the class with the ominous job of educator…quite different than the last time I was at UCSB decades ago as a student – and not a particularly good one at that. These were a group of a 25-ish year-old second year masters students – smart, ambitious, capable millennials ready to change the world.
As a dude that has somehow pieced together a career helping companies manage their corporate social responsibility and environmental footprint, I was asked to take over the class from a professor who had other obligations. Thank god the school let me rebuild the class curriculum to reflect how I see the world as a guy practicing corporate sustainability.
While giving the class overview on the first day, I decided to tell the students that my inspiration and advice for how to teach this class came from Mike, my 8th grade math teacher buddy in Eugene OR. The reaction was priceless. It was just what I hoped – a cross between, really dude?, you’ve got to be kidding and how do I get out of here. It will not come as a surprise that these lofty millennials were not so impressed with Mike’s middle school teaching credentials. But these words worked well to shake them up and send the message that this is not going to be like your other classes. As I reflect on this, this is a page right out of the Mike Heil playbook.
My discussion with Mike about this class a few months earlier, yielded several helpful pieces of advice.
Tip #1: Drown them with positivity and enthusiasm. It is free to hand out praise and support and can be infectious as we all know from being around Mike. I watched Mike use this approach on my own 8th grade son who bonded with very few adults at that time in his life. Mike went on to suggest to just listen to the students and support their interests, quirks, and anything they are passionate about. This worked great…although I am not as accomplished as Mr. Heil at this, I could see the student respond to this approach. We had started down a path of relating to each other as colleagues and broken free of the stereotypical teacher–student dynamic.
Tip #2: Treat students as equals – It will not surprise you to hear that Mike never warmed up to the traditional teacher student paradigm whereby the teacher lectures at students and students receive knowledge. Mike’s belief is that we all can learn from each other…and using a classroom to share perspectives helps him understand the world better as well as allows students to do the same. So I did this as well, and the students responded well again.
Tip #3: Focus efforts and time on the students – Minimize class overhead around grading and other academic bureaucracy. Mike suggested using fewer assignments, having students grade each other’s work and being direct and transparent about the grading system so they could focus on learning and not worry about silly grades that were mostly predetermined. By that, I mean that in the school I taught, it was highly encouraged to give grades from B+ to A. The assumption was that B and C students were weeded out in the Master level application process. So I took Mike advice and talked openly about the grading and this helped them relax and focus on learning.
As it turned out, I had a blast teaching the class and hanging with these millennials and I think Mike’s advice really helped me down this path. As I reflect a bit more, this approach is definitely how Mike rolls in life. Pushing back in a positive, pragmatic yet diplomatic way. Challenging some of our silly systems while doing a kick-ass job. Thanks Mike!
Mark
Too many happy tears in my eyes to finish reading in one setting.
Laurie, what a WONDERFUL tribute you provided to Mike! He has indeed enriched so many lives with his positive attitude, wit, and wining smile. God Bless You Both for Sharing this with all of us.
I continue to be inspired by BOTH of you, and particularly appreciate our frank conversation yesterday
Spasibo
Wow Laurie! I appreciate you sharing the awesome book you put together. Soooo inspiring. Thank you!!