Editor’s note — Following is the sixth of 12 personal profile stories written by MHS journalism students about influential people in their lives.
Amber Iseman is a second-grade teacher at Greenfield Elementary. When she was a child, her grandmother would tell her stories about all of her superb teachers and she’d listen to her grandmother recite poetry from memory that she’d learned in grade school. Some of the most memorable conversations between Iseman and her grandmother revolved around how teachers made such an impact on kids’ lives. From that moment on, Iseman knew that she wanted to teach.
In kindergarten, she had a teacher that was really special to her.
“She would let me sit on her lap, and hug me when I was crying,” Iseman said. “She didn’t get upset with me for crying and being shy. She treated me as if I were her own child.”
That teacher became her inspiration to become an educator herself.
“She believed in me, and saw my potential to be a great student,” Iseman said.
When asked what three words she’d use to describe herself, she chose, “energetic, inspired, and artistic.” Iseman juggles the responsibilities of being a mom, wife and a teacher.
“It isn’t always easy, but it keeps life from being boring,” she said. “I enjoy working hard and being with my family.”
Iseman tries to be the best role model she can be for her students. She strives to be the teacher she’d want for her own children. Teaching is her motivation to learn new things every day, understand how others feel, and keep moving with the rhythm in life.
Iseman has a couple of hobbies that she especially enjoys — quilting and crafting — which she says is her way of relaxing. If she weren’t a teacher, she said she’d open a small quilt shop.
“I would teach quilting, visit with customers, and be a shopkeeper,” she said.
Iseman mentioned that her daughter pushes her to keep her chin up, and is there to support her when she needs it most. Before her son taught her about autism, Iseman claims that her way of understanding set a confined mindset in her life.
“Life isn’t black and white. There is an expansive sea of gray,” she said. “It’s OK not to conform to what everyone thinks you should be!”
