Nick Neureiter

Professional Biography

  I think I fell in love with the tools of the teacher before I realized that I actually had a gift for teaching. My mother was a teacher before I was born. As I grew older, she gave me her box of teaching items, such as filled up
lesson plan books, grade books, and dittos. In school, I was always volunteering to help grade
papers, run off copies, and create and hang bulletin boards. Once I got to 6th grade, I began
to see myself as a teacher some day.

My greatest contribution to education has been the role I have played in strengthening science
instruction within the IPS district.

My greatest accomplishments in education have not been in any award that I have won, but in
sharing my love of science with my students. I became a science teacher because I am
absolutely awed by the world around us. From the detail on a microscopic level to the majesty
of the cosmos, I am inspired to learn as much as I can about the workings of our universe at the
scientific level. I love that I am able to share my passion with my students. Each one of them
has some interest in science, whether they know it or not. It can be a specific concept they are
interested in, their enjoyment of hands on lab work, or the pride that comes with solving a crime
scene investigation in class. It is such a pleasure to see my students come alive when they
realize they ‘get it’, or have learned something they never knew before. These little bits of
success inspire our students to become independent, lifelong learners!

Community Involvement

  I hope to inspire the power of social action at the local level, within one’s community.
There are needs that often go unnoticed in our own neighborhoods.

Drumming is also a big part of my life and I am fortunate to serve the community through my musical talents. Being able to use these talents to help others has always been important to me. My band plays fundraisers for The Julian Center, for breast cancer research and other causes that are important to us. We play at local events such as the Rocky Ripple Festival and a variety of community events in Broad Ripple. We also co-headline Knollfest each year, a fund raiser on the Butler campus to buy instruments for IPS music students. Anything that I myself, or with the help of my students, can do to give back to our community, is an important part of who I am.

Education Issues and Trends

While every school does not need to be a magnet, each one should have a driving concept behind
it which makes it special, which makes it stand out and creates a place to be proud of. This all starts with strong leadership and a vision.
  A profile of the community must be considered when establishing a school. Who are the people in the community? What are their needs? What type of instruction is the best fit for the student population? What would make this school relevant in the eyes of the community? These are critical questions that must be constantly reexamined. So many schools are stuck in the past and this is one of the main causes of schools that do not work. They have failed to change with the changing world that their students live in. Technology is an afterthought and programs that enhance student interest and learning are cut or left to fizzle out. The atmosphere is cold, unwelcoming and not a place that students feel they belong. Children must come first in any decision a school makes. If they don’t buy into what you are doing, it is a waste of time and the resulting affects will trickle down.
  Unfortunately, there are many factors beyond our control that contribute to these problems. Retaining young, inspired and effective teachers in the schools and encouraging their transition into positions of leadership in the district is a place to start. I have recognized this potential in myself and have begun working towards my administration degree. I look forward to the day when I can serve the IPS district in leading a school community towards success. To encourage my staff, students, families and community as a whole to focus on the children, to do what is best, to use each minute of each school day in the most positive manner possible. In doing so, I hope to be an example to the future educators of our district.

National Teacher of the Year
 
  Being named Teacher of the Year for the Center for Inquiry is an honor. As a spokesperson for the entire teaching profession, I would share some of the guiding principles that have made me the teacher that I am, always focusing on what is best for children.
I see every student who walks into my classroom as a human being who is shaped by their experiences. I have a responsibility with each interaction I have and with every word I say, to remember that I have a tremendous opportunity to be part of the shaping of that human life. With unlimited access to technology, our youth see the world’s problems and we cannot stand by and pretend that students are ignorant to them as they negotiate today’s image of what one should look like, or of what one should be. Every interaction we have with children has power. What we say, the looks we give, the tone of our voice, they can all either change the life of a child for the better, or for the worse. As National Teacher of the Year, I would encourage everyone who interacts with a child, from parents to classroom assistants, to always remember what an impact they have.

All teachers must find a place where they can have the greatest impact. I was once offered a job at a new school in the Hamilton Southeastern district. I went so far as to attend a back to school night, meeting the wonderful students who would be attending that year. I found myself surrounded by a lot of awesome teachers who were going to do a great job in this new school. However, I knew in my heart that many of those same teachers could not, and would not have the same impact on students in IPS that I did. I knew that I could not leave my kids and that I had already found the place that I was to be. I told the principal that I had to graciously decline the job and that I needed to be where my heart told me, in IPS. I hope that every teacher can find that place, that they can find their calling. I have, and it is truly an honor.