Teaching Out of the Box: Jim Butterbach of Minooka

Thirty-three years of teaching high school is a fulfilling career, but Jim Butterbach is not the kind of person to rest on that kind of record. After his high school teaching career at Minooka High School, Butterbach embarked on another full-time career, he joined the faculty at Joliet Junior College as a math professor.

Now in his 10th year as a full time faculty member, the modest Butterbach said he’s not the kind of person to sit still.

“I get a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment out of teaching. I enjoy going to work every day,” he told Patch.

In explaining the difference between high school and college teaching, the Minooka resident said, “In high school, teaching is only about half the job. In college you don’t have to worry so much about the other things, you just teach.”

But beside his load of four classes, he also coordinates the Math Center, the drop-in tutoring center on the JJC Campus.

Butterbach is civic-minded as well. He’s a four-year member of the Minooka High School District 111 School Board with two years remaining.  He cited his work on the successful spring 2006 construction referendum as one of the pluses in his board tenure.