Mr. Schweitzer Teacher Feature 2010
An elementary school teacher has one of the most important jobs in America, building the academic foundations of young minds. It’s a highly rewarding profession but extremely challenging. Mr. William “B.J.” Schweitzer has been doing the job for 14 years and currently is teaching 3rd grade at Hilltop Elementary School in Chula Vista.
“I really enjoy teaching and find that every day is a challenge yet every day is fun,” said Mr. Schweitzer, who began his teaching career in San Jose, California in a 4th grade classroom after earning his master’s degree in education and teaching credential at San Diego State. Prior to that, he graduated from U.C. Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in political science. “I became a teacher because I wanted to do something with value besides working for myself and making money.”
After teaching for a year in San Jose, Mr. Schweitzer came to Chula Vista where he taught 3rd grade at Roger Elementary School for two and a half years. He then transferred to Allen School where he taught 5th and 6th grade for several years. He recently moved to Hilltop Elementary and initially taught 6th grade.
Now as a third grade teacher at Hilltop elementary school, Mr. Schweitzer is helping his 20 students everyday by equipping them with valuable information and teaching them important skills. The demands of the job can be tiring and rigorous. Students come into the classroom at different levels and with different learning styles. He uses a variety of strategies to help all of his student achieve academic success including differentiating curriculum, peer partnering, seating arrangement, and using different teaching styles to appeal to the variety of student learning styles.
“Every moment of everyday is significant in the classroom and I try to bring a high level of energy and love for learning into the classroom,” said Mr. Schweitzer. “I think you need to be passionate about the subjects you teach, have knowledge of content, follow through and have lots of empathy.”
A typical day in his classroom covers a wide range of subjects including language arts, science, social studies and math. He is currently finishing up a unit about animal habitat and will soon be starting another about the history of Chula Vista.
Mr. Schweitzer feels that reading is very important for his students and plays an important role in developing self-confidence and motivation to learn. Throughout the day, he uses a variety of strategies to help his student become better readers including modeling good reading strategies and setting the purpose for reading.
“Parents can really help their child by reading with them every day, modeling good behavior, and being supportive,” said Mr. Schweitzer. “I think both parents and teachers want the same thing which is successful and happy students. I also feel that students play a big role in their own success and I encourage them to be accountable, take responsibility for their actions, and realize that they have the power to attain their goals.”
In his spare time Mr. Schweitzer enjoys reading, playing the guitar, and surfing. He has played in a couple of different bands over the past several years and also enjoys traveling and staying healthy. He has coached the Hilltop coed soccer team for the past three years and the last two years has led the team to the district playoffs. Two years ago the team went to the championship game. The team is made of up of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.
“This year we have another outstanding team and play a 10-game regular season schedule which is just starting, said Mr. Schweitzer. “I encourage everyone to come on out to the games and cheer Hilltop on to victory.”
An elementary school teacher has one of the most important jobs in America, building the academic foundations of young minds. It’s a highly rewarding profession but extremely challenging. Mr. William “B.J.” Schweitzer has been doing the job for 14 years and currently is teaching 3rd grade at Hilltop Elementary School in Chula Vista.
“I really enjoy teaching and find that every day is a challenge yet every day is fun,” said Mr. Schweitzer, who began his teaching career in San Jose, California in a 4th grade classroom after earning his master’s degree in education and teaching credential at San Diego State. Prior to that, he graduated from U.C. Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in political science. “I became a teacher because I wanted to do something with value besides working for myself and making money.”
After teaching for a year in San Jose, Mr. Schweitzer came to Chula Vista where he taught 3rd grade at Roger Elementary School for two and a half years. He then transferred to Allen School where he taught 5th and 6th grade for several years. He recently moved to Hilltop Elementary and initially taught 6th grade.
Now as a third grade teacher at Hilltop elementary school, Mr. Schweitzer is helping his 20 students everyday by equipping them with valuable information and teaching them important skills. The demands of the job can be tiring and rigorous. Students come into the classroom at different levels and with different learning styles. He uses a variety of strategies to help all of his student achieve academic success including differentiating curriculum, peer partnering, seating arrangement, and using different teaching styles to appeal to the variety of student learning styles.
“Every moment of everyday is significant in the classroom and I try to bring a high level of energy and love for learning into the classroom,” said Mr. Schweitzer. “I think you need to be passionate about the subjects you teach, have knowledge of content, follow through and have lots of empathy.”
A typical day in his classroom covers a wide range of subjects including language arts, science, social studies and math. He is currently finishing up a unit about animal habitat and will soon be starting another about the history of Chula Vista.
Mr. Schweitzer feels that reading is very important for his students and plays an important role in developing self-confidence and motivation to learn. Throughout the day, he uses a variety of strategies to help his student become better readers including modeling good reading strategies and setting the purpose for reading.
“Parents can really help their child by reading with them every day, modeling good behavior, and being supportive,” said Mr. Schweitzer. “I think both parents and teachers want the same thing which is successful and happy students. I also feel that students play a big role in their own success and I encourage them to be accountable, take responsibility for their actions, and realize that they have the power to attain their goals.”
In his spare time Mr. Schweitzer enjoys reading, playing the guitar, and surfing. He has played in a couple of different bands over the past several years and also enjoys traveling and staying healthy. He has coached the Hilltop coed soccer team for the past three years and the last two years has led the team to the district playoffs. Two years ago the team went to the championship game. The team is made of up of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.
“This year we have another outstanding team and play a 10-game regular season schedule which is just starting, said Mr. Schweitzer. “I encourage everyone to come on out to the games and cheer Hilltop on to victory.”