Teacher Tuesday: Kevin Behmer
Kevin Behmer headed up to Huron since the internet was down in his house. “I needed to see my students,” he said. “So I went up to school and got it done.”
April 6, 2021
Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: “I am in my 34th year of teaching, with the last 31 being at Huron. I also did my student-teaching here as well. I am married to a middle school math teacher and have two sons, Brendan, Huron HS class of 2020 and Aidan Huron class of 2023.”
Q: Have you always been interested in teaching?
A: “Not particularly. Both of my parents were educators and my family tree is rife with them as well. I originally wanted to be a computer programmer but in the 80s, that meant you were really just going to be ‘talking to a plastic box’ and after 1.5 years of study, I realized that I wanted to interact more with people. So I changed my studies and leveraged my credits and academic interest to a math and CS degree.”
Q: Do you have any advice for students during this difficult time?
A: “Perhaps that ‘being okay’ can mean a whole range of things. Okay doesn’t mean everything is perfect and as it should be, but rather given where I am, I am okay for now. Okay is a very fluid word.”
Q: What/who inspired you to become a teacher?
A: “My parents were both teachers in a small district in northern Michigan. So as a result, most of their friends were also teachers. Thus, I was surrounded by people who were clearly making a difference in many lives. And while I was not initially inspired to be a teacher, the fact that I could learn something and perhaps help others to learn about it too, and maybe something about themselves along the way must have been embedded in my subconscious.”
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: “Much of my free time is spent shuttling my own kids to their activities! That said, I do enjoy reading and learning new things. I have also been involved with coaching cross country and track and field in some manner annually since I started in 1988.”
Q: What is one motto you will always live by?
A: “Not sure I have a particular motto. Some favorites include: ‘See a need, fill a need,’ ‘Be kind,’ ‘Be Kind, everyone is dealing with their own challenges, it’s just that some are more obvious than others,’ ‘That’s what you do in a herd,’ ‘Remember who you are and whose you are’ and of course, ‘This is Huron.’”
Q: What is your favorite teaching moment?
A: “I am not sure I have had a singular teaching moment. I think a teacher’s life is filled with many moments that are tremendously meaningful for a variety of reasons. Moments such as watching a student receive their diploma when you know the struggles they endured to get there, days when you feel that you facilitated a great lesson.
My favorite moments in this year include when several students turned their cameras on to say goodbye either when we were going into break or at the end of the semester when their schedules dictated that they would not be able to continue. That personal moment was very moving. Even to this day.
I know that many of my favorite memories stem from when students come back to visit, or when I run into them in their post-HS worlds. We teachers get to spend time with young people during some of their ‘messiest times’ as they are trying to figure out who they are and what they are about. So, it can be especially fun to learn how their story is unfolding. To see that things turned out okay.”
