Update: He'll Keep Helping Young Kids

(This story was expanded since its original posting.)

Of the thousands of children Chris Heine got to know while teaching 37 years at Cornwells Elementary School, one stands out.

And she wasn't even one of his students.

“The thing I remember most is Georgiana Antonopoulos, who passed away in 2001,” Heine said when asked if anything sticks out in his mind from his time in the Bensalem School District.

The young girl was in first grade when Heine met her. She died the next year.

“I remember going down to CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) and bringing my science show for her to see,” he continued. “I fell in love with that little girl, and her mom was phenomenal. Her biggest fear was that her daughter would be forgotten.”

Heine said he decided to make sure the young leukemia victim was not forgotten. So, he said, he started Georgiana's Walk, which raised $7,000 in its first year, 2002, and continues to this day.

“I also got involved with the Ronald McDonald House at St. Christopher's Hospital and found out that for $30,000 we could get a room named after her, and we did (in 2007),” he said. “We have an incredibly giving group of parents in that school.”

Heine taught his last Bensalem class in June, and his retirement was formally accepted by the school board last week. The 62 year old spent his entire teaching career at Cornwells, which was originally on Route 13 before opening on Hulmeville Road about 13 years ago.

Superintendent Bill Gretzula said Heine was a special teacher.

“Learning did not come easy to him and be brought that to his classroom every day. He realized that different students learn in different ways. That's what made him a special teacher,” said Gretzula.

Heine fondly recalls being a finalist for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year in 2008 and being named 2009 Teacher of the Year by the Kiwanis Club in 2009. While he will miss teaching, he feels good about his decision to retire.

“I have a student teacher this year and I feel like I'm leaving education to really great people,” said Heine, whose daughter also is a fifth-grade teacher at Faust Elementary.

“It was a little difficult (to retire). I loved the kids. I loved the staff. Bensalem was a wonderful place to teach. I enjoyed every single year.”

His advice to the teachers who follow him?

“Be fair and consistent, and love the kids, and have classroom structure,” he said.

He said one of the biggest challenges teachers face today, especially in lower-income districts is meeting the challenges of the federal No Child Left Behind law.

“The positive is that it has improved teaching. There's so much information covered in the test that we have to teach kids how to think,” he said. “The negative is the pressure that it puts on poorer school districts. Teachers in Bensalem have to work so much harder than those in more affluent districts because we're dealing with so many additional issues.”

Heine, who grew up in Churchville, was asked to look back and talk about the changes in education he's seen over the years. He said a big positive is the improvement in the quality of elementary level books. On the flip side, he pointed to a societal change.

“The only big difference is the total support you used to have from parents. They never second-guessed you,” he said while acknowledging that often having both parents working nowadays makes things tougher for them. “But I was lucky because I gained a reputation over 37 years.

“I had over a hundred kids whose moms and dads I taught.”

As for his future, the Marlton, N.J resident will be traveling with his wife and teaching science

to elementary school students during the Science in the Summer program sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline. He says he'll also be volunteering at Ronald McDonald House and with Katie's Krusaders, which raises money for ill children.

“I'm a firm believer in giving back,” he said.