Tami McQuillan jokes that her tombstone will read “Take responsibility for your actions.”
It’s just one lesson she conveys to the middle school students in Gillett as she teaches English/language arts, math, social studies and science. She encourages students to make good choices, be true to themselves and face the consequences of their actions.
“The ultimate goal at the middle school level is to help them figure out who they are,” McQuillan said.
McQuillan, a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at Gillett Secondary School, has been nominated for the 2015-2016 national LifeChanger of the Year award. Sponsored by the National Life Group Foundation, the LifeChanger of the Year program recognizes and rewards the educators across the United States who are making a difference in the lives of students by exemplifying excellence, positive influence and leadership.
Eighth-grader Angela Guzman said McQuillan was a life changer for her last year when she was failing social studies. McQuillan helped her review the material for the course, and Guzman said now she is consistently an A-B student.
“She always has a smile on her face. She takes time to help you,” Guzman said.
McQuillan said her work with Guzman is an example of how she finds a way to reach each student in the classroom, developing a connection that will help that student succeed.
“We established a positive connection, but the key to her success was getting her to believe in herself and her abilities,” McQuillan said.
Eighth-grader Sydney Young said McQuillan creates a positive, productive environment in the classroom.
“She’s helping us achieve our goals,” she said.
“She’s very good at listening to what you need,” said eighth-grader Anthony Carroll.
McQuillan was nominated for the LifeChanger of the Year award by secondary school Principal Steve Linssen.
“She has been a positive role model for students, and she continually leaves a positive mark on our school culture,” he said.
Linssen, who heard about the award after a former colleague was nominated, said McQuillan keeps kids engaged, resulting in great opportunities for her students. Her teaching style incorporates a traditional classroom setting with real life situations, Linssen added.
For example, in last week’s lesson about how to effectively conduct Internet research, students were assigned a major city in the U.S. and asked to find a park in which to hold a company picnic. They had 10 minutes to complete the task, and McQuillan awarded a fictitious $200 bonus to the group that completed the assignment within five minutes.
“She’s fun to teach with,” said Brett Zahn, a long-term substitute teacher who is co-teaching English/language arts with McQuillan. “She’s very creative, helpful to her students. She comes up with a lot of interesting learning opportunities that keep them interested.”
In addition to teaching, McQuillan has served as class adviser, student council adviser and forensics coach. She helped start the middle school forensics program in 1991 and since then has taken charge of the high school program, also.
McQuillan said teaching is her passion. She joined the Gillett staff in 1990 and has teaching there for 25 years. She said she fell in love with the community and the school, and though she has been approached by other districts to join their staff, she likes teaching in Gillett.
“We have a strong middle school staff here. We work well as a team. We problem solve. We’ve been doing that for many, many years,” she said.
She sees herself as a positive role model for her students who makes lessons engaging, different and challenging.
“I have high expectations for the kids, and they reach them,” McQuillan said.
She wants the secondary school students to know her classroom is a safe and comfortable place.
“All of us are life changers,” McQuillan told her students. “We all make a difference in the lives of others.”
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