Mike Halloran
The English I and American Literature teacher who received the superlative of “nicest teacher” in last year’s yearbook is retiring after 24 years at Shorewood and 29 total years as a teacher. These 29 years were the result of a change of heart after a fruitful career as a chef.
“I realized I couldn’t do much more in the restaurant business without putting my own money into it, and I didn’t want to do that,” Halloran said. “I had a really good job, but I didn’t want to take the next step. I remembered how much I enjoyed undergraduate classes. I knew that teaching was a good idea.”
As it turned out, his cheffing experience and culinary skills benefited him when he was hired at his first teaching position.
“Before working at Shorewood, I worked at St. Francis High School on the South Side,” Halloran said. “I taught as an English teacher there, and for my first semester of teaching there, I taught as a foods teacher, too.”
His tenure at St. Francis also offered a smooth transition into the next phase of his career.
“Rick Monroe [Shorewood’s principal at the time] called me and Mr. Thibedeau,” Halloran said. “He had been our principal at St. Francis High School prior. And so he called [us] and said, ‘I have positions for you, please come and apply.’”
Halloran states that his favorite part of his job has been connecting with his pupils.
“It’s kind of trite, but it’s also true,” Halloran said. “It’s when you get to not worry about all the other things in the school environment and just have your students in your classroom and those interactions with [them]. There’s 125 different kids that come through your class every day, and there’s always hard parts, there’s always awesome parts, [but] the best part of it is [the students].”
He emphasized this affinity with students as something difficult to leave behind.
“That’s the hard part to think about retiring from, all those interactions that happen, those things that you learn about people plus about yourself from interacting with all those people,” Halloran said. “[There’s] unending opportunities for learning personal truths…I’m really going to miss that part.”
Similarly, he found that this reciprocity with students gave him a deeper understanding of texts from his curricula.
“Every time I come back to a good piece of literature, I learn more stuff [about] it [by] talking about it around a room with students,” Halloran said.
In return, Halloran hopes to impart one message with his students.
“I think I’d want young people to know [that] they already know what’s right,” Halloran said. “It might be hard to figure out sometimes, but you guys know a lot. Your guts are well-established, so trust them.”
Extending this message, he adds that believing in one’s instincts and doing what’s right is a lifelong challenge.
“The world isn’t an easy place to be, but neither is it for 62-year-old men,” Halloran said. “It’s still complicated and hard.”
Additionally, Halloran shared his enthusiasm for the novel experiences retirement may bring.
“I’m always excited for a new opportunity,” Halloran said. “There’s so many things I could potentially do. Occupationally, I mean, I don’t have to do anything, but people throughout the years have said I have a really good voice for radio.”
He also looks forward to delving deeper into his current hobbies and hiking with his wife.
“We’ve hiked most of the Ice Age Trail, but there’s really cool spots up in the northwest part of the state we haven’t got to yet,” Halloran said. “So swimming, hiking, and I want to read whole books of poetry by single authors, because you can learn more about the authors and the context that they’re writing in.”
Halloran also notices how his daily life will change without a specific objective for each day.
“That’s an unknown about retirement,” Halloran said. “Like, what’s it going to be like? I don’t have to wake up at whatever time in the morning, put my brain in gear, get ready for my first hour class, all that stuff.”
Although he will notice the absence of his old routine, Halloran looks forward to the open-endedness of retirement.
“That’s one thing I’ll enjoy, being able to think on my own timeline and not to be too structured,” Halloran said. “But structure and patterns are also things that I’m going to miss.”
Judy Pottinger
The district bids farewell to Judy Pottinger, an instructional aide at Atwater Elementary. After 14 years of helping in kindergarten classrooms and assisting with early childhood education, Pottinger is ready for retirement.
However, teaching was not Pottinger’s original career path. She started out as a graphic designer before discovering her connection to the classroom.
“After having my son I realized how much I wanted to be with children,” Pottinger said. “So I switched gears. I started working at the [Jewish Community Center] and I got my early childhood education certification.”
After welcoming twins to the family, Pottinger involved herself in the Shorewood School District through volunteering in numerous opportunities at her kids’ schools, which led to her taking on her current position.
“I helped with the Atwater Newsletter, I worked on Career Day and with the PTO on many different projects, and I was a room parent,” Pottinger said. “When I went back to work, I had become so attached to being at the school and volunteering that [working in the school] was a natural fit. I started subbing in classrooms and I was a long-term sub in the office. After a year of doing that I got permanently hired as an instructional aide.”
After countless hours spent instructing and working in the classroom, Pottinger has learned important skills from both her colleagues and students.
“I think I’ve become better at observing, because you have to adapt what you are going to teach and how you are going to react to each child,” Pottinger said. “A lot of the techniques that I learned were from the teachers that I worked with. The other teachers were my teachers. I got the basics from my early childhood certification, but that didn’t mean I could walk into a classroom and really know everything there is to know. I needed experience. The teachers I collaborated with gave me a lot of help and excellent advice.”
Aside from these lessons, Pottinger observed the creativity many of her students shared. This allowed for new, unique perspectives in the classroom.
“I think the thing you learn most from kids is not to forget that there’s a million different ways to see something,” Pottinger said. “Everybody has their own view on the world, and where adults have sort of learned to give the same responses or the same answers for certain things, kids are wide open and they have so much imagination. I think it’s good to keep in touch with that.”
From her experience as a member of staff and parent in the district, Pottinger has seen first-hand how the community impacts the schools as they continue to adapt and evolve.
“I feel that any changes made [in the district] should reflect our community’s values,” Pottinger said. “This community really appreciates and values all the hard work the Shorewood teachers do. As someone who has worked alongside the teachers for many years, I’ve seen first hand the dedication and commitment these educators have. As a mother of three children who had all received an excellent education and great extra-curricular programs at the Shorewood schools, I would want every child in Shorewood to also get that experience.”
Pottinger reminds students to persevere through challenges and failures.
“Keep trying and don’t give up,” Pottinger said. “If [you are] ever in a situation where they feel like they’re failing, give it some time, keep working at it, and don’t be afraid of failing. Failing just means either you try again or you adapt and find a new way of doing something, but not to let that block you.”
In this next chapter of her life, Pottinger looks forward to working with stained glass, biking, cooking, learning Spanish, and spending more time with family.