Bringing creativity and understanding to English and Social Studies

SEELEY LAKE - Heidi Sawitzke hopes to bring creativity into the classroom and make connections with students during her role as the new English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher for junior high students at Seeley Lake Elementary.

Sawitzke became interested in education as a career after realizing the positive impact teachers can have on society.

"I have always loved learning and I want to share that love of learning with my students," Sawitzke said. "I am always learning something new. I just love gaining knowledge; it doesn't really matter what kind."

She gravitated towards secondary school because she feels like students need support as they are starting to think more in-depth about the world.

"Teenagers are finding out who they are," Sawitzke said. "It is fun and an honor to be a part of that process. Because of where they are with their development, teenagers don't always feel like they can go to their guardians, but they still need a trusted adult to talk to. I enjoy being there for them and watching them blossom into their more complex selves."

She graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor of arts degree in history and later earned her master's degree in education from the University of Oregon. She is also English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) certified.

She calls herself "a perpetual student" and wishes to continue her learning journey as she works towards her second master's degree in creative writing and literature from Harvard Extension School.

For her first five years of teaching, Sawitzke taught at a high school in a small Oregon town. There she was the head of the social studies department and taught three different AP classes developing 10 courses during her time. She was also sponsored to be a civic scholar twice by a state representative.

"I could watch the kids grow up for all six years, and that was amazing," Sawitzke said. "Curriculum development is a particular passion of mine. I want to engage students in their learning in creative and fun ways."

After spending six years in Oregon, she decided to move closer to her parents who had recently moved to Seeley Lake.

"It was very strange that the job in Seeley Lake popped up," Sawitzke said. "It felt like fate was at work."

She intends to use active learning rather than lecturing during her social studies program. Projects she has done in the past include board game making, museums for the community, mock trials, puppet shows, rap battles and newscasts with a green screen. She hopes that she can continue doing some of these during COVID-19.

"Project based learning allows me to meet the students where they are at and encourages them to use their creative minds to make connections at a higher level of thinking," she said.

Aside from teaching creative writing, this is her first time teaching English.

"This is an area I am nervous about," Sawitzke said. "However, I will rise to the challenge like I do every other one: reading books and hard work. I am studying how to create meaningful units at the moment and then will move on to how to help struggling readers. I will also bring some of my creative writing skills and love of story to the classroom."

Sawitzke said her students have been amazing so far.

"They are polite, they want to learn and they are funny," she said. "They make my day enjoyable. I am looking forward to having fewer students [than in Oregon]. This will allow me to give one-on-one attention to the students, something I felt I never had time for when teaching six different grades."

When she is not teaching, Sawitzke is usually writing, reading, sewing, camping or watching TV in her free time. Her goal is to finish the novel she is working on next year and have it put out for publication.