Mikaela Morton is only in her second year of teaching, but the Edison Middle School sixth-grade English/language arts teacher has known she wanted to enter the profession since she was an elementary school student teaching her brother to read.
The Batavia native said she couldn’t “bear to leave” Champaign-Urbana after attending the University of Illinois. She wound up at the school where she student-taught, where she also coaches cross-country.
I find my work important because … I know that every single day, there is always going to be a student in my classroom who needs more than just a place to learn. They need stability, community and understanding. Having the privilege of being able to provide that for so many students on a day-to-day basis reminds me that this profession truly does offer the opportunity to change lives.
I became a teacher because … my younger brother has reading difficulties. When I was in upper elementary/early middle school, I spent countless nights at the dining room table teaching him how to read. I remember the way I felt when the pieces began to come together and it started to click for him, and I was sold. I knew I would be chasing that feeling for a very long time.
My favorite or most unique lesson I teach is … anything revolving around SEL (Social Emotional Learning). While I am an ELA teacher, if I can incorporate social and emotional learning into a lesson somehow, I never skip it. It is my favorite type of lesson to teach because there is so much value in teaching students how to treat themselves and others, make decisions, and manage their emotions. These are the types of lessons that truly do prepare students for life outside of school.
My most fulfilling moments on the job are when … I am able to watch a student’s confidence grow. One thing I talk about a lot in my classroom is how important it is to trust ourselves enough to take academic risks and try new things. Since I work with sixth-graders, a lot of my students are very timid when they first come to me. Being able to watch them come out of their shell and become more confident in their abilities is one of my favorite things about my job.
I keep my students engaged by … being just as silly as they are. I have learned that middle-school students thrive in an environment where learning is fun, and being able to laugh and share common interests with one another is a really great way to do that.
Something else I’m passionate about is … being creative. I enjoy doing anything that allows me to have a creative outlet, and I am always picking up new hobbies. I love to crochet, and I make a lot of scrapbooks. Most recently, I handmade every single one of my students a bracelet with their name on it.
My favorite teacher and subject to study in school was ... The first teacher who ever made a big impact on me was Mr. Thoms, my third-grade teacher at Centennial Elementary School in Plano, Ill. He is the first teacher that I can remember who made coming to school feel exciting. But in high school, my favorite teacher was my English teacher, Mrs. Heim at Batavia High School. When I took her class, I had already enjoyed reading and writing, but I was beginning to slow down. She pushed me to do my best and helped me rediscover my love for the subject all over again. She taught me how to dig deeper, push myself, and recognize my own strengths.
If I weren’t a teacher, I would be … a veterinarian. My mom is a vet tech and has worked with animals for my entire life, and I have always admired that. I have always known I wanted to work with either children or animals. But, I believe what I ended up with is the best of both worlds — being a teacher and having two cats of my own at home.
— ANTHONY ZILIS