两性色午夜

EHHS Education Grad Keeps It in the Family

If ever there was someone who followed in their parents鈥 footsteps, it was Maria Schneider, 鈥96.

Her mother and father met at, and graduated from, the College of Education, Health and Human Services, and both of them studied and taught health education and physical education. Maria earned her Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and a minor in health education from EHHS. Her mother was head coach for a high school girls鈥 gymnastics team that won 16 consecutive state titles and 19 total. Now a head gymnastics coach herself, Maria has won four consecutive titles. Both of her parents spent their careers teaching in the same school district where Maria has taught for 27 years running.

But getting her start in teaching didn鈥檛 come easy. When Maria was in eighth grade, her mother needed help teaching a class of adults with special needs. A teenager then, Maria confessed that she absolutely didn鈥檛 want to do it. She couldn鈥檛 do it. In fact, Maria was so scared that the mere thought of helping her mother teach moved her to tears. However, that first encounter with classroom instruction eventually put her on the path to becoming a teacher herself.

鈥淚 did the class and the next thing I knew I loved it,鈥 Maria said. 鈥淭hen I knew I wanted to be a teacher. It just felt rewarding. I only applied to 两性色午夜 because I knew they had a great education program. To me it was a no-brainer once I got in.鈥

Maria, who also holds a master鈥檚 degree in sports management from Cleveland State University, started out teaching grade school physical education. Some 27 years later she is still teaching in the same school district where her parents taught, though now she teaches health education and life skills courses to seventh and eighth graders at Brecksville-Broadview Heights Middle School.

鈥淚 love health education, and the lessons students take from it are so valuable,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not the same health class I had growing up. Now it鈥檚 about developing skills, making decisions, setting goals, communicating and advocating.鈥

She stresses that the content she teaches in health class must change with the times, and teachers, like students, should be willing to change with it and be lifelong learners. Maria believes that once a teacher has tenure, it鈥檚 easy to keep going and not worry about having to change the curriculum to fit the times.

鈥淚f I was still teaching about smoking that would be silly,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 should be teaching about vaping. I might teach the same lesson or assessment, but I鈥檓 always trying to make it better.鈥

Because Maria鈥檚 outlook toward coursework often wavered between positive and negative, her EHHS professors began referring to her as 鈥漅ollercoaster.鈥 Up one day, down the next. Fortunately, she also found an overabundance of support from faculty within the college.

鈥淢y professors in PE were so hard on me but in a great way,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 the top student, but they didn鈥檛 give up on me. That鈥檚 how I grew.鈥

Maria kept to a busy schedule while at 两性色午夜. In addition to being a full-time student, she competed as a gymnast for two years, then worked as a student athletic trainer, traveling with the ice hockey team for two years. Maria wishes she had been 鈥渦p more than down,鈥 and she regrets not taking advantage of other opportunities beyond the classroom that would have allowed her to grow more as a professional while still in college.

But for more than 20 years, she has been working closely with the School of Health Sciences by supervising student teachers in the field and serving as a guest speaker in the classroom.

鈥淪he meets students wherever they鈥檙e at and works really hard to develop their skills,鈥 said Rene Axiotis, associate professor of health education in the School of Health Sciences. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 kind of what a coach does in a way. To see where they are and to see where they need help. She does it with such grace and humor, and our student teachers and our field experience students always feel so supported by her.鈥

Rene describes Maria as a strong representative for educators in Northeast Ohio. Through her involvement in SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators), an education-based organization, she on the importance of developing emotional intelligence that appeared in the fall 2022 issue of 鈥淢omentum,鈥 SHAPE鈥檚 online publication, and was named the 2021 SHAPE America Midwest District Health Education Teacher of the Year. She was also named the 2019 Ohio Health Teacher of the Year by the Ohio Association for Health, Physical Education and Dance.

Maria lives by the saying, 鈥滻 get by with a little help from my friends.鈥

Maria keeps in touch with some of her college professors through education conventions or connecting on social media. She also gets help and advice from teachers across the country she has met along the way.

Although it was a challenging time for teachers and students, the pandemic also afforded an opportunity for Maria to connect with her colleagues about best practices for delivering virtual classroom instruction.

Now that students and teachers have returned to the classroom, the latest challenge is converting all the virtual learning back to in-person instruction.

鈥淵ou were so used to doing things one way, then COVID hit, and you did things another way,鈥 she explained. 鈥淎nd now you鈥檙e recreating again. We grew as teachers during COVID because we had to pivot. That was the big word. Then we had to pivot back.鈥

Teachers had to revisit lesson plans and think of new ways to create content for students, relying on technology to help develop their skills. Maria enjoyed these virtual meet-ups with other teachers that gave them the opportunity to continue to grow and learn despite COVID.

鈥淲e all get along with each other and work together, no matter what our subject area is,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e there to support each other. It鈥檚 a great atmosphere.鈥

POSTED: Monday, May 1, 2023 03:14 PM
Updated: Monday, May 8, 2023 02:49 PM