Solon teacher helps kids feel valued and validated

SOLON - Teaching first grade lets Lakeview Elementary teacher Hilary Gerk watch students 'grow into themselves,” she said.

'The kids just are fun, and they have a love of school,” said Gerk, who has been a teacher in Solon for five years. 'The things that they say are so animated and sincere and they grow academically, socially and emotionally so much through the first year.”

The Gazette is featuring Gerk as part of a series of stories spotlighting educators in the Corridor. To nominate someone to be featured, send an email to Molly Duffy, K-12 education reporter, at molly.duffy@thegazette.com. Please include a bit about the educator and why you think that individual stands out in the teaching profession.

Here are a few questions we asked Gerk:

Q: Name a few things you always have on your desk.

A: For my own survival, I've always got water, hand sanitizer and lotion on my desk. ... There's a variety of gifts I've received from students - I let the kids sit at my desk for a variety of reasons throughout the day, so I leave the things they give me on my desk in hopes they'll find something that validates them.

Q: What would you be doing if you weren't a teacher?

A: My all-time dream job would be an anchor on 'Good Morning America!” I would also love to do something with clothing merchandising - buying, selling or styling for a clothing company.

Q: What's the funniest thing a student has ever said to you?

A: When you work with first-graders, it gets hard to even remember some of the most funny things you've heard. (Once, a student said,) 'I read the best with my eyes closed. I'll just do that.” Here's (another):

Student: Are you Miss Gerk or Mrs. Gerk?

Me: Miss Gerk, I'm not married yet.

Student: Oh, is that why you're so small?

Q: Who was your favorite teacher when you were a kid and why?

A: My favorite ... was my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. McKinley. I remember feeling so valued and validated in her classroom. To me, there's no more empowering feeling to give a student than the feeling that they 'mattered.” I felt like anything I did 'mattered” to Mrs. McKinley, and it's my goal to mirror that part of my fourth-grade teacher in my own classroom.

Q: What's one of the harder conversations you've had at school?

A: It's never easy or fun telling a parent something you know they don't want to hear. Their child is their most precious work and letting a parent know of a student's challenges, academically or social, emotionally, is one of my least favorite parts of my job. It's my hope that in those difficult conversations that a parent can get a clear understanding of the concerns but also that those concerns don't define or discredit that child, and that there are so many things each child is capable of outside of their greatest limitations.

l Comments: (319) 398-8330; molly.duffy@thegazette.com