Hinsdale High School Teachers Deserve 'Better Treatment' By Board

By ALLISON SEIBEL

When I left the Chicagoland area after high school (first to Missouri for college and then to New York City after I graduated), I noticed something. Everywhere I have been, whenever high school is brought up people roll their eyes and express their hatred for those four years. They talk about how horrible it was, how they didn’t get along with teachers or other students, etc.

It’s something I’ve never been able to relate to. I am a 2008 graduate of Hinsdale Central High School. For me, high school was really enjoyable. Not just because of my friends, but because HCHS was a great place to be. The people who make up that place – the teachers – are to thank for that.

I read a statistic that college students change their major, on average, three times. I knew from the minute that I got to college what I wanted to do. The classes I took my senior year at HCHS were classes I loved – and one in particular, yearbook, helped me realize what I wanted as a career. With yearbook, I dabbled in writing and design. Since then, I did both in college, did both as part of internships at magazines and now I am writing at one of the most successful American fashion labels ever. I’m so happy that my yearbook teacher and I are still in touch today, because if it wasn’t for her and that class, I don’t know if I would have followed this path.

Not only did my teachers give me an education that was the foundation for my college years and the start of my career, but they were gracious, giving role models that I could trust. I was lucky to be chosen by my teachers to be a part of programs like Freshmen Orientation, Conflict Resolution Team and Breaking Down The Walls. All of these programs were geared toward making HCHS a great, safe place to be, which is of the utmost importance. They are important not just for making school a safe place, but also to help students learn to be kind, tolerant and respectful, inside and outside school. The fact that the teachers dedicate their time to those programs on top of their regular workload speaks volumes of their compassion and kindness.

I could write ten more pages on the amazing memories I have with my teachers at HCHS. I trusted them and felt comfortable coming to them with any problems I was having. I knew that all of them cared about my classmates and me, and that they wanted us to be safe, to succeed and to thrive. I’m lucky enough to call some of those teachers my friends today. These people deserve so much more than they ever get or even ask for from the school board. The fact that many students, residents and parents from the district are writing letters in support of the teachers should speak for itself. They don’t deserve to be treated the way they are being treated now.

Allison Seibel

HCHS Class of 2008

New York, New York