Award-Winning Wichita Teacher Shares Passion for Learning
Published Aug 17, 2009
Tom Klocek says teaching elementary students is a rewarding career.
By the time the 2005-06 school year had ended‚ Seltzer Elementary School’s Tom Klocek had received a couple of significant teacher of the year honors.
They were minor compared to a certain letter he received.
It came from a student he had taught in first grade early in his teaching career. The letter was enclosed in the student’s 2006 high school graduation announcement she had sent to Klocek‚ and she had written to tell him what an impact he had made on her during her formative years in school.
“I started out teaching first grade‚” explains Klocek‚ who now is a third-grade teacher at Seltzer‚ “and you wonder what kind of impact you can have on a first-grader. You love getting the accolades and stuff‚ but hearing that you made an impact on a kid 12 years ago and they remember you and invite you to their [high school] graduation that’s the best feeling.”
Klocek has found teaching to be a rewarding career since he first entered the profession in 1993. He previously worked in retail management and banking‚ but he felt drawn to the classroom.
“My wife said‚ ‘If this is something you really want to do‚ I suggest you go for it‚’ ” Klocek says. “I did‚ and it was the best decision I ever made.”
Klocek was awarded teacher of the year for 2005-06 for the intermediate level (grades 3-5) of the Wichita Public Schools system. He was also selected as Wichita’s elementary nominee for Kansas teacher of the year.
“The honors are very meaningful‚” Klocek says. “It’s nice to be acknowledged by your peers and the people that you work for.”
But his students don’t need to see his plaques to know how good a teacher he is.
“I love spending the time working with the children‚” Klocek says‚ “and that’s the greatest reward in the world.”
Story by John McBryde
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