A great teacher is one who shares her knowledge with students, but Omaha South English teacher Sara Speck knows there is more to teaching than just lessons and plans.
Speck, also a cheer coach, inspires her classroom students to go above and beyond and also works to channel that same passion into uplifting her cheer squad.
“I kind of always knew I wanted to become a teacher since I was a little kid,” Speck said. As a child, Speck shared that she would play school with her friends. “What really solidified that for me were my high school teachers.” Speck also said that her 11th grade and creative writing teachers helped her come to the decision that teaching was what she planned to do for the rest of her life.
Speck said she teaches in a style that errs on the side of compassion, but that she also holds high expectations for her students. “I try to remember that my students are human too,” she said. Speck shared that if she expects her students to show her grace, she must also show them grace in return.
“I saw a past student who graduated, and they thanked me for believing in them,” she said. Speck said she encourages her students to go above and beyond. She believes it only takes a student to go out of his or her comfort zone to achieve things they did not know could be done. “It’s so nice to see my hard work and passion for teaching really pay off,” she added.
Speck shared that to be a great cheerleader you must be willing to try something different and new. “I always tell my kids I can teach anyone to cheer, but I can’t teach you to have a good attitude,” she said.
Speck said that the team has been struggling with time management. “This is the time in the school year where it’s hard to be a school athlete,” she said, and that it is hard balancing one’s practice, schoolwork and home life; that’s why expectations are raised, but so is encouraging students to support and help each other.
“My goal for this year is to keep improving,” she said.
As a fourth-year teacher, Speck said she is finally in a place where she feels confident about her ability to teach but would also like to improve her skills.
