Teacher of the Year weekend was experience of a lifetime

The 2010 Minnesota Teacher of the Year was named Sunday, which was appropriately timed for National Teacher Apprecia­tion Day that fell on Tuesday.

Open to all licensed teachers in the state, the Minnesota Teacher of the Year program is a celebration of excellence in education. The program is in its 46th year.

Richard “Butch” Halterman, a frenetic bundle of energy who teaches science at Montevideo Senior High School, was one of the 10 finalists. And while he was not chosen as the 2010 Teacher of the Year, Halterman counts the experience of the past weekend as worth it in itself.

“I had the most inspiring weekend of my life!” he told the American-News. “I feel so good to be a part of education. I wish every teacher could go through this experience.”

Teachers are nominated by the general public, including students, parents, colleagues, community members and through self-nomination. There were 107 candidates in this year’s original field.

Halterman was nominated by colleague Gerry Wohlhuter, who was himself one of the finalists for Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 2006.

“Gerry is a coach,” said Halterman, who has taught at the high school and Area Learning Center here since 1987. “I guess he saw potential in me.”

So did the individuals who wrote letters of recommendation supporting Halter­man. These included fellow teachers, former students, and administrators. It was because of that support that Halterman decided to fill out the lengthy application and submit it last summer.

“I couldn’t let them down,” he recalled. “They believed in me.”

Halterman appreciates what that trust can do, drawing from his own experiences as a self-described underachieving student.

“I always had a passion for science, but didn’t think I was smart enough,” the one-time English major recalled.

He ended up with a major in psychology and a biology minor. Eventually he decided he could pursue his passion for science and earned a master’s degree in biology.

In turn, Halterman believes in his students and encourages them to believe in themselves. Simply put, he is passionate about what he does.

“This isn’t a job,” he stressed. “It is a calling. You have to have passion. Passion for what you teach, passion for the kids.”

Halterman’s students return that passion. They hosted an ice cream party for him Monday morning.

Like so many of his colleagues that were among the finalists this year, Halterman fervently believes every child can learn and that it is up to teachers to reach them.

“You have to make the jump from just giving them the information to making them understand it,” Halterman stated. “We can’t do the work for them, but we have to share our time with them. Time is the biggest gift we have to give.”

Closing the achievement gap between white students and minority students remains perhaps the biggest challenge for educators. It is a challenge facing not only inner city schools, but one that is increasingly common in greater Minnesota.

“That’s the biggest thing we’re dealing with is closing the achievement gap,” Halterman explained. “I heard something in St. Paul that really struck me: ‘We have to teach them to learn to learn.’”

Halterman said he was inspired by what he learned while visiting with his peers about ways to close that gap last weekend.

“We can’t give up on our students. We have to demand the best from them,” he said. “All of us share this belief, that every kid can learn.”

Ryan Vernosh, a sixth-grade teacher in St. Paul, was selected 2010 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. He was selected from 10 finalists by a panel of civic and business leaders.

Vernosh says the core of his education philosophy is “an unshakable belief that all students can and will learn no matter the circumstance. Students living in poverty, students with exceptional needs, students from historically disenfranchised populations, all can and will succeed in my classroom.”

That is a philosophy that Halterman wholeheartedly concurs with.