Behind the Scenes at MHS: Teachers encourage success
By JESSICA BERNHARDT
MHS student reporter
This is the first of a series of articles about teachers at Marion High School.
When most people think of Marion High School, the first thing that comes to mind are the students or athletics.
However, there is much more to the high school than the students. One important factor it takes to run a high school is its staff — teachers, principals, secretaries, and janitors.
There are many teachers at MHS who make the school a successful place for students to learn. One of these teachers is Myrta Billings.
Billings is the Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) teacher. This broad topic includes parenting, life skills, on your own (a new class designed for seniors), introduction to FACS, nutrition and wellness, meal management, careers, and clothing.
Billings was born in Caney, raised in Purue, and attended high school in Sedan. She is married to Eric Billings and has three children, Brandon, Sarah, and Brett, and one son-in-law, Paul. She enjoys reading and gardening in her spare time.
Billings received her bachelor of science degree from Pittsburg State University in 1978 and a master's degree from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) in 2000.
She has been a teacher for 18 years. She has taught at Arma; Elmore, Ohio; Bellvue, Ohio; was the family nutrition educator at Ohio State University; and finally, at Marion High School.
Becoming a teacher was "mainly desperation" for Billings. She was a single parent trying to raise two children.
She also enjoys teaching because she believes that students "use FACS every day, no matter what they do." She also likes the practicality of the profession.
Some people say children are born with the ability to learn, while others say the teacher provides it. Billings believes there is a combination of both views — students have to have the desire to learn and they have to be receptive.
Billings knows that students in her classroom are learning when they start telling her what she tells them. As a motivator, Billings uses self-depicting humor and puts the spotlight on her to keep the students interested.
There are many difficult aspects of teaching today, and Billings claims that discipline and additional documentation are two of these things.
"There is so much paperwork to document what we are teaching," she said. "We can't make a lesson and teach it without having to write down saying we actually did it."
Billings also is the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) sponsor.
Her first year as sponsor proved to be very memorable. She had two students in junior high school competing at a regional event. They were marginal students who had many social problems. They ended up winning at the regional and state level, and proceeded to go to nationals. They did not win at nationals, but their motivation to keep competing always will be a fond memory for Billings.
Her goal right now is to pass VE-2 funding. She put in the application and is awaiting approval. If approved, this will allow her to get the FACS department fully VE-2 funded and she then will rewrite the entire curriculum. Billings also is in the process of obtaining new textbooks and learning materials for her classes.
Another important asset to the teaching staff is Gary Stuchlik.
He is a member of the site council and has been a teacher for 13 years. He teaches advanced math and science, including calculus, physics, physical science, and college algebra through Butler Community College.
Stuchlik received his bachelor's degree from Kansas State University in 1992. While obtaining his master's degree from Wichita State University in 2001, Stuchlik became a teacher at Valley Center High School. He taught there for three years before transferring to MHS for the past 10 years.
Stuchlik's main reasons for becoming a teacher were because he enjoyed math and science, as well as working with high school students. He never has considered teaching elementary-aged students because he "enjoys advanced math and science and watching high school students grow from the time they enter high school until the time they graduate."
Stuchlik is married and he and his wife, JoAnn have six children — Derek, Amanda, Nicholas, Zachary, Maria, and Abigail. He enjoys farming and raises hogs and cattle. Stuchlik was born in Herington and raised in Lost Springs. He is the son of Alex and Jean Stuchlik of Lost Springs.
Stuchlik believes children are born with the ability to learn. From birth they are curious about their surroundings and they work hard to learn. A teacher doesn't provide the ability to learn, but the opportunity to learn, he said.
Even teachers continue to learn. During a centripetal force lesson, Stuchlik demonstrated the experiment by swinging a piece of cardboard attached at all four corners by strings with four cups of water on it. This was done to show angular acceleration and gravitational pull. The experiment started out well, but while in air, the cardboard broke and water went everywhere.
Stuchlik believes the most difficult aspect of teaching today is motivation. He finds it difficult to motivate students to learn a wide variety of topics.
"Students are focused on what they want to do. The high school needs to provide a wide variety of topics and students need to take those opportunities," he said.
Labs, experiments, and technology such as graphing calculators and PowerPoint presentations are used throughout his classes to keep students motivated and interested in learning.
Stuchlik's goals for the next few years include writing more labs and creating more hands-on activities for students. As a school-wide goal, he hopes to reach the standard of excellence in tested fields such as science and math.
