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The following is an article that was written on our Learning Center Director, Miss Kiara Mueller. It was published in the Star newspaper on the Sunday, May 14th, 2006 edition.
Today's focus for Mother's Day are the moms who carry that difficult job into their classrooms each day. Of course, not all teachers are parents, but one suspects that all teachers find their parenting instincts alive and well in the classroom.
Sometimes students call Mueller 'Mom'
By Rena Fulka, The Star
Miss Mueller.
Maybe it's the alliteration. Maybe it's hard to break a loving habit. But at least three times a day, one of Kiara Mueller's students inadvertently calls her Mom. The teacher at Palos Evangelical Lutheran School in Palos Heights said the slip is understandable. "I'm here to show them the same love their parents show them at home. So it's great to be called Mom once in a while," she said. "But I don't ever want them to think I'm taking the place of their moms." On a typical school day, Mueller educates 14 children in kindergarten through third grade — all in the same classroom. Though the students share space and a teacher, the curriculum is geared for individual grade levels. Morning lessons, which include kindergarten, focus on reading, writing and 'rithmetic. Afternoons are devoted to science, English and social studies. Religion is taught every day, too. "We try to tie it in with all our subjects," said Mueller, who has a bachelor's degree in education from Martin Luther College in Minnesota. "My job is to help prepare them for how to act with others and for serving their Lord. I help them grow not only academically, but socially and spiritually." The Tinley Park woman does a bit of mothering in this multiage setting, too. Sometimes it takes the form of comforting students when they are hurt. "I want them to feel safe, and I'm here to provide them with help, too," she said. During a recent lesson on humility, Mueller emphasized the importance of good manners, such as holding the door for others and saying, "God bless you," when someone sneezes. "I teach them to live a life of service to others like Jesus lived his life for us," said Mueller, who will teach preschool and kindergarten in the 2006-07 school year. "This is a great opportunity to lead them in this life — and into the next."
Rena Fulka may be reached at rfulka@starnewspapers.com or (708) 802-8829.
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