Every morning, Heather Schiesher’s fifth-grade classroom begins with a small but powerful ritual. She stands at the door and greets each student as they arrive. Some choose a high-five. Some prefer a wave. A few offer a hug. Others salute.

The point isn’t the gesture. The point is the choice.

“They get to choose,” Schiesher says. “But it’s so much fun to get to greet them every single day at the door and get to know them and their personalities.”

For Schiesher, those daily moments reflect a philosophy she has carried through eighteen years in the Forreston School District: school should be a place where every child feels seen and valued.

She grew up in German Valley, attended the same district, and graduated from Forreston High School in 2003 as part of the first sixth-grade class to attend the junior-senior high building. Her oldest daughter turned one during her first year of teaching. “She’s my tracker for how long I’ve been teaching,” she says. That daughter is now heading to Eastern Illinois University to major in special education—a decision shaped by Forreston’s Education Pathway  program and recent Max Wenzel scholarship.

Schiesher began her career in kindergarten at German Valley Elementary, spent about seven years teaching fourth grade, and then pursued a language arts opening in fifth grade. She had been teaching math, but reading was the draw. “I love books,” she says, “and I love getting to talk books with kids.”

In her classroom, that enthusiasm drives everything. Her fifth graders take on a 40 Book Challenge—exploring mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, biographies—to discover what captures their imagination. “My big picture goal for my fifth graders is that when they leave here, they know what types of books they love to read,” she says.

That goal lands at an important moment. By fifth grade, students are beginning to form their own identities. “They’re turning into individual little people,” Schiesher says. “They’re trying to figure out who they are.”

She returned to self-contained teaching—one group, all day—because she wanted to know her students as whole people. “Getting to see what their strengths and weaknesses are,” she says. “I just love that.”

On the classroom wall hangs a reminder she returns to often: “You can do hard things.” Beneath it: “Mistakes are part of learning.”

“We don’t expect perfection,” she says. “It’s a safe place to take a risk.” And students learn quickly that their teacher practices what she preaches. “I make mistakes all the time. They love it when I make a mistake.”

That openness fosters something just as important as academics: belonging. When one student was sick for a couple of days, the class felt the absence immediately. “The kids were like, I really miss him,” Schiesher recalls. “And I was like, I do, too.”

“Each individual student is somebody’s most important person in their lives,” she says.

Schiesher’s role extends beyond the classroom.  In 2023 the district implemented the Education Pathway program.  This career exploratory offers 11th and 12th graders the opportunity to learn daily from teachers like Mrs. Schiesher, while earning six dual credits transferable to any state university.  Schiesher serves a mentor teacher to one of twelve students enrolled and works daily with a high school student interested in becoming a future educator.

“The Education Pathway Program is a wonderful opportunity for high school students to explore the option of becoming a teacher,” Schiesher states. “By getting into the classrooms with current teachers and students, they are able to see if the classroom would be a good fit. If they love it, they know they have found the field for them!  For me, personally, I have seen several students choose to pursue education because of this program, my daughter being one of them.”

The work also reflects her gratitude for the colleagues who shaped her own career. She names them readily—Mrs. Joy and Mrs. Carlson while at German Valley, Rod Genandt and Kristina Genandt when teaching  fourth grade, Mrs. Schmidt and Ms. Dublo on her current fifth-grade team. “They make the hard days easier,” she says.

That sense of connection extends into the wider community. At a store not long ago, a former student’s father recognized her. She asked about his kids, and he told her his daughter had been accepted to veterinary school.

“I remember her talking about in fourth grade wanting to be a veterinarian,” Schiesher says. “You don’t get that in a lot of fields—knowing you got to be just a little part of it.”

“If someone only followed headlines or social media,” she says, “they might believe schools are struggling everywhere. I personally don’t feel that here in our district.” She sees strong leadership, supportive families, and a team of educators working together. “I just love this district,” she says. “I absolutely love what I do every day. I get excited to come to work.”