Written by Breanna Abendroth
Sheila Stecker began her teaching career in 1992, teaching first grade at Christ the King Catholic school in Mount Carmel, Iowa. Once she got engaged to her husband, Bob, she began teaching kindergarten at Titonka Elementary and found a love for it. She stayed there for twenty years before Titonka consolidated with Algona. Through the consolidation, she moved to the Algona Community School District and has continued teaching kindergarten for the past 13 years.
Over the 34 years of experience Mrs. Stecker has expressed, “All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten.” In her many years of inspiring and teaching students, she has also been impacted by colleagues who helped shape her into the teacher and person she is today. Someone who was especially influential to her was her dear friend and coworker from Titonka, Kim Bernhard. A big part of her inspiration came from how positive Kim always was, regardless of the challenges she faced. She shared that even through Kim’s cancer journey, she kept positive, which reminded Mrs. Stecker to do the same when things got tough for her. Another supporter in her life has been her team at Bertha Godfrey who have helped her grow more as a team member and a leader. She stated, “We know we are always stronger together and we are always there for each other!”
Reminiscing throughout her career, Mrs. Stecker’s favorite part of teaching is the satisfaction of seeing a kid excited to learn and how rewarding it can be to see them get it. In addition, she enjoyed all of the hugs she got from her little ones. Knowing she has had a positive impact on many children over the years has been one of the most satisfying parts for her. A fun fact from Mrs. Stecker is that she has influenced many students to put pencils behind their ears, just like she does!
Even though she has had such a rewarding career as a teacher, she is excited for retirement. One of the many activities she is looking forward to is gardening and canning with her husband. She is also looking forward to getting to spend more time with her family and friends, especially as she will soon be a grandma! She's looking forward to the quiet moments like mornings on her porch swing with a good book or getting to go and have lunch with her friends.
It is very apparent how passionate Mrs. Stecker is for teaching and how much love she has put towards her students over the years. She feels proud to have been a public school teacher and expresses how great of a career it has been. Although, she also explained that it doesn’t feel like she’s been teaching for 34 years, “The days are long, but the years are short.” Thank you, Sheila Stecker, for your many years of service to the Algona Community School District!