What Teachers Want

Three Cadillac teachers share their wish lists for supplies and student success

By Kierstin Gunsberg | Aug. 26, 2023

The days are shorter, bedtimes are coming earlier, and kids are shaking off the beach sand to fall back into a school year routine. As their parents and guardians pull lunch bags from the back of the closet and start to stockpile fruit snacks, teachers all over northern Michigan are welcoming students back into the classroom. Meet three educators from Cadillac Area Public Schools who are sharing their hopes, dreams, and must-haves for a successful 2023-2024 school year.

Who: Tyler Droski
Where: Franklin Elementary
Grade Level: 4th Grade

With seven years of teaching elementary school behind him, fourth-grade teacher Tyler Droski is looking forward to returning to Franklin Elementary where he says he and his students are surrounded by a “tight-knit, supportive staff who work hard to make Franklin ‘the place to be,’ as we always say.”

Most-Wanted Classroom Supplies: “I usually need an assortment of supplies for the school year, from decoration supplies to create a fun and welcoming environment, to organizational tools to help things run smoothly,” says Droski of his classroom wishlist. “Specific items we always need are tissues, pencils, and disinfectant wipes.”

What Parents Should Know: “I always stress to my students two things: First, that they never give up, and second, that they are always giving their best effort,” says Droski. “I also want parents and guardians to understand that I define success this way with my students.”

He adds that adults can help support their students by checking an app called “Remind” for important notes from Droski and by setting aside 30 minutes at home to connect over educational apps or by reading together. “Little things like that can go a long way at school.”

Greatest Hopes for Student Success: “I want students to grow as learners and people. I want learning to be a way for students to grow, not a grade to achieve,” explains Droski, who lets his classroom vote on fun incentives for reaching academic milestones. These incentives include pizza parties, root beer floats, and even extra recess time.

Most Excited For: Conquering math concepts with his students this semester. Droski says he’s also excited to continue a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum called “Friendzy!” The curriculum promotes emotional literacy, something Droski says is “essential in education.”

Who: Tabitha Cecil
Where: Mackinaw Trail Middle School
Grade Level: Special Education, 6th and 7th Grade

Mackinaw Trail Middle School’s Tabitha Cecil is known to her sixth and seventh-graders as “Miss Cecil.” While spending five days a week in the presence of 800+ middle schoolers would intimidate most people, the special education teacher says she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love the energy from the students and seeing them become more mature students and citizens as the year goes on.”

Most-Wanted Classroom Supplies: Pencils! Cecil says that for older students, this OG classroom tool is the most used, and she estimates that she gave out “hundreds” of them to her middle schoolers last year. “Middle schoolers have a lot going on in their lives, and the last thing I want them to worry about is not getting work done because they don’t have a pencil,” she tells us.

She notes that parents and guardians can drop classroom supplies off at the school office with their teacher’s name or send supplies to class with their student.

What Parents Should Know: Cecil says she wants adults to know that grades don’t define student success and that “grades are just a small reflection of how schools display data.” She adds that parents can support their middle schoolers by taking time each day to touch base on how friendships, homework, and school are going. She also suggests encouraging healthy sleep and nutrition habits in students and points out that middle school is an important time to allow kids the time and space to express their emotions openly with their adults.

Greatest Hopes for Student Success: For students to gain confidence by not being afraid to be wrong. “I often remind students that mistakes are the best way to learn because we can try something another way the next time,” she says. “Being wrong shouldn’t be a shameful moment; it should be a motivator to take another route.”

Most Excited For: Besides reconnecting with her students, Cecil is looking forward to seeing her colleagues again. “I love the people I work with,” she says. “Some of my fondest memories in teaching thus far are conversations I have with other teachers during professional development times or informally in the hallway.”

Who: Beth Stebbins
Where: Cadillac High School
Grade Level: Art, 9th-12th Grades

Beth Stebbins still can’t believe she gets to show her Cadillac High School art students how to view the world through a creative lens. “I cannot imagine any other career being as fulfilling as mine is to me,” she tells Northern Express. While she guides students through color theory and composition, she’s also focused on showing her high schoolers how to be “healthy, productive adults” through her classroom interactions.

Most-Wanted Classroom Supplies: Stebbins says that while “donations are always appreciated,” as a teacher to older children, most of her students come to class with their favorite paint brushes and other art mediums at the ready.

What Parents Should Know: Stebbins wants parents and guardians, along with their students, to understand that everyone, no matter their skill level, can enjoy art. For students pushing for A’s in her class, she reminds them that their priority should be more about finding their own artistic path and less about academic excellence. “Nobody should be expected to be excellent at everything they try to do,” she says. “We should focus more on learning and less on grades.”

Greatest Hopes for Student Success: “I try to focus on different things for each student,” says Stebbins. For some, she says success means guiding them toward a passing grade to achieve graduation. With others, she focuses on helping them build their portfolio to apply for college scholarships. “For some, just making it through the day smoothly will be a triumph,” she adds. “Success looks different for each kid.”

Most Excited For: “I look forward to seeing students that I have gotten to know—I miss them over the summer,” says Stebbins. She also loves to see students realize their passion for art, especially when it’s painting, which is Stebbins’ personal favorite medium. As she settles back in for the school season, Stebbins says, “I hesitate to call my job work, because I truly love what I do so much that it sometimes feels funny to get paid to do it.”