This blog has a history of profiling "cool teachers you should know," and I wanted to start off 2009 by celebrating the life and work of Bob Kiessling, a legendary New Jersey math teacher and cross country/track coach who passed away over the holiday break.

Throughout my junior and senior years of high school, Bob Kiessling and I met in the dark at 5:30am and put in 5-7 miles. He wasn't the coach at my school, but my friend ran for his team and convinced me to tag along over the summer. Because of an arcane NJ sports rule, I couldn't run with his team during the school year. So Kiessling - in his inimitable, gruff Clint Eastwood style - decided we would run together in the mornings. He didn't want to be paid, patted on the back, or even thanked for coaching me. There were only two conditions: I had to sport a geeky reflector vest so we didn't end up as roadkill, and if it was at least 45 degrees, I had to wear shorts.

It is easy to point to the eight state championships that Kiessling's cross country and track teams won, multiple "coach of the year" awards from New Jersey track associations, his acclaim among fellow math teachers, or where his runners went on to run in college as evidence of his impact. But what struck me at his funeral on Saturday was the range of 500 former students and runners who came to pay their respects. Alongside his current students at Haddonfield Memorial High School were former students in their 30s and 40s - students he taught decades ago. Most of us had stayed in touch with Kiessling all this time. 10, 20, even 30 years later, so many of us remembered him as the teacher who made the biggest difference in our lives.

As a researcher, I think a lot about teaching - how we measure its impact, what it means for a teacher to be good, and how we motivate and support the right people to enter and stay in the classroom. Bob Kiessling has always been part of the answer to those questions for me. If you have a few minutes today, take a look at some of the testimonials from former students, parents, and colleagues that flooded in online. He will be missed.

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Joel Blecha, a first and second grade teacher at Manhattan's Neighborhood School, has been teaching in New York City for seven years.

Nominator Dave Bellel explained, “I met Joel Blecha when he was recommended as a tutor for my daughter almost 5 years ago. It’s instantly recognizable the talents that Joel has as a teacher and as a human being. He’s vibrant, curious, and loves kids. He’s the teacher that I wish I was.” Bellel referred Blecha to the Neighborhood School, and principal Judith Foster related that she thanks Bellel in her prayers every day for sending him along.

Joel relishes in creating and teaching curriculum that excites his young learners. He believes in helping his kids connect to the world around them, whether it’s the natural world or the world of their families. One project, in which kids raise trout in a 55-gallon tank in their classroom, was recently profiled in Trout Magazine.

The six and seven-year-olds also learn interview note taking “just like college kids,” one student proudly exclaimed. Bellel explained, “The class either hosts family members or interviews them at their place of work in order to learn about their heritage or job. Often the interview sessions involve cooking (pizzas with the Italian family), dancing (meringue with the Dominican family), or learning about American history (from the one student whose great-great-great-great grandmother was a runaway slave).”

On a more personal level, Blecha's entire class served as his ring bearers and flower children for his wedding two years ago! He also works with folks at Teachers College to create curriculum to share with his colleagues.

In the picture above, you’ll see Blecha and his class on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade on one of several trips they took while studying the Brooklyn Bridge. Joel pens his own lyrics to other songs in order to teach his kids important concepts. On this trip the class sang, “Since You’ve Been Gone,” an ode to bridge architect, John Roebling, from his son, Washington - all to the tune of Kelly Clarkson’s hit.

Keep up the good work, Mr. Blecha!

Read more about this series and see other teacher profiles here. You can nominate a cool teacher by emailing me at eduwonkette (at) gmail (dot) com.

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