Teacher Passions

Everybody has something that they’re passionate about—the hobbies and things we love help us learn more about other people and ourselves. Without our passions we would all be the same person and there would be no individualism in our society. We start to develop our passions as teenagers and keep them for a long time. In the end, our passions define who we are. Whether you’re into music or sports our loves are still important to us. This is true for a number of Westside’s English and Language teachers.

Sayre

If you haven’t taken AP Literature or Honors American Literature, you’ve probably missed out on the incredible opportunity of meeting Mr. Sayre. In the short amount of time I was able to talk to him, I felt that I had learned so much about him and the type of person he is. The passion Sayre has for everything he does—especially his music interests— is clear from the way he talks about them.

Music is an important part of Sayre’s life. It has a large impact on his daily life, and it’s one of his biggest hobbies. Earlier in his life he had many people who influenced his love of music.

“I was influenced heavily by my parents. They’re music teachers and there was always music in the house. It encouraged me to find music that I connected with,” Sayre said. “I had a friend who turned me on to a band called The Smiths, and that changed everything for me in terms of seeing music as art.”

At the end of the year, Sayre makes a playlist for students so they can enjoy the music he loves. He finds music that fits into what he’s teaching in class. At the beginning of class he plays particular songs so his students can relate the lyrics to what they’re learning. Along with music, he fell in love with literature through people who introduced him to different types of writing.

“In literature, I had lots of mentors. As a kid, I had an uncle who was always handing books off. I love reading and it turned me on to poetry,” he said.

Mr. Sayre is passionate about many things and you can tell by simply talking to him—it’s clear by the way he gives elaborate answers on topics like Shakespeare and poetry. His passion for these topics is obvious, and it’s incredible that Sayre is able to share his love of literature and music with his students.

Spisak

America is considered very isolated to most countries. Citizens from around the world think Americans don’t know anything about other countries’ cultures. Despite these assumptions, traveling is something that allows us to learn more about other people and how their traditions differ from ours.

Honors Literature teacher Molly Spisak understands this, and that’s why traveling is one of her greatest passions. During the summer, she usually spends a good amount of her time at the pool with her kids, but when she’s not busy in Omaha she likes to travel and see other states.

    “Life is really busy and stressful everyday,” Spisak said. “To appreciate a new perspective or to understand a little bit more or get out of your comfort zone. I think it’s a good experience for humans to do.”

    Traveling is something that has been important to Spisak for a long time. She loves being able to experience new things when she explores a new place

Her favorite cities in the United States are the ones that are rich with culture like New York where she used to live.

“I’d say to be able to have a lot of different cultures sort of embodies what the United States is— a lot of different cultures and a lot of different perspectives in one location,” Spisak said.

Spisak has been able to gain new experiences by visiting other cities and taking in the diversity around her. In traveling to these new cities, she has been able to get away from the isolation of America and the idea that they only care about themselves. Her passion for traveling has provided her with new situations and will help her experience new cultures in the future.
Hollenbeck

A new face you might be familiar with because of her amazing sense of style is Ms. Hollenbeck. As the new German teacher, many people probably have noticed her in the hall because of her cute clothes. But what her her incredible sense of fashion doesn’t show is her love of biking. Most people in Omaha get around town by driving a car, taking the bus or walking, while Hollenbeck gets almost everywhere by bike.

It started when she was a student teacher in Saint Paul, Minnesota. During her time in Minnesota, Hollenbeck didn’t have a way of transportation. She looked into getting a bike to get to and from school and since then, it’s something she’s stuck with.

“Wherever I go in or out of town, I try to ride my bike regardless of the season,” she said.

Other than her normal commute to and from work, she has gotten into some other type of bike races. One of the kinds of races she loves are alley-cat races. Alley-cat races are less structured than your average race and are usually done in larger cities. They allow people to enjoy the city they’re in while still competing.

“You have to go to certain checkpoints, but you get to choose your route,” Hollenbeck said. “It’s kind of cool because it’s really just an unofficial race.”

Hollenbeck has been biking in many different cities for a while, and her passion has stuck with her as she moves around. Even though the cities she lives in have changed, she still continues biking as a commuter and enjoys races like the alley-cat in bigger cities.