Lisa Speiller

Please join us in congratulating Mason City Schools 8th grade Language Arts Teacher, Lisa Speiller, on being named the 2022 Mason Schools Foundation Teacher of the Year at Mason Middle School.

Mrs. Speiller has spent all 18 years of her career at Mason Middle School teaching 7th and 8th grade students, which she loves. “What a fun job I have,” Lisa shares! “I love teaching middle school because adolescence is such a transformative time. Students are discovering their own individual identities, and I get to join them on their journey as they uncover their own unique talents and abilities and work towards independence.”

Mrs. Speiller was nominated for Teacher of the Year by a parent who went on to explain how impressed she was that in a large district Mrs. Speiller takes time to truly get to know each and every one of her students. More importantly she not only notices when they are thriving but also when they become withdrawn. It is known that Mrs. Speiller goes above and beyond to assure that her students are doing OK. She checks in with parents and other teachers to talk about any concerns that she has, to see if there are any patterns. “Parents don’t really know how their kids are at school but it is where they spend most of their time,” said parent Tonya Hartma. “I so appreciate Mrs. Speiller for going out of her way to do what is right, even when no one is watching.”

In addition to teaching language arts, Mrs. Speiller also serves as the chairperson of the One School, One Book Planning Committee, a program where students along with all staff members at the Middle School (including administrators, teachers, administrative assistants, food service employees, custodians, etc.) engage in a shared reading experience. “The goal of the program is to build a culture of readers and allow students to see that we are all lifelong learners,” explained Mrs. Speiller.

Speak Up, Write Now! and Media MakerSpace are two elective courses at the Middle School that your student may have taken in the past. Mrs. Speiller also collaborated with a team to create these courses, which help students extend classroom skills and share their stories with an authentic audience. This is yet another example of Lisa Speiller not only going above and beyond inside of her classroom but outside of it as well.

It is clear that Lisa Speiller supports the values and goals of the Mason Schools Foundation. “As a Mason teacher, I recognize the amazing gift in the Mason Schools Foundation, which encourages a culture of innovation and supports us in ensuring that every child has access to an education that is personalized, inclusive, and adaptive to the needs of a 21st-century workforce,” Lisa shared.

We are thrilled to recognize Mrs. Lisa Speiller as Teacher of the Year!

🌟 Congratulations! 🌟