Q: What is your name? Can you spell it please?

A: Hillary Schulze

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: Biology and aquatic science

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: This is my eleventh year in education, it is my ninth year as an actual classroom teacher. I was also a sub and a special ed carer.

Q: Why did you decide to become a teacher?

A: When my kids started school and so I volunteered a lot. I started subbing, and then I fell in love with it. I do it for the kids. I like science a lot; I’m passionate about science. But I am really passionate about kids.

Q:Why did you decide to work for Bellaire?

A: I heard really great things about it. It’s been here forever. It has quite a legacy. I have a really good friend who works here. So he talked to me a lot about it and the positions. I agreed and jumped on it!

Q: What are you favorite moments in you teaching career?

A: I love when I learn from kids. I have had kids who have taught me stuff that I didn’t know. You think that as the teacher you know the most, but sometimes the kids are smarter than you are. I also think the best moments are the “Ah ha” moments when the kids knows it and really likes it.

Q: What are your hobbies and interests outside of teaching?

A: I love music. My family loves music. My daughter is in college for songwriting. My husband is in an improv troupe so we often go watch his shows. And now that my children are in college, I play with my puppies a lot.

Q: What is your best motivation as a teacher?

A: I like to see kids succeed and seeing what it does to better for them.

Q: How do you define your strategies or philosophies in your classroom?

A: My philosophy is that everyone can do it and should do it and should try to do it. And if a student is struggling, then it is up to me to develop more of a relationship with them. When they trust me, we can find better ways to help them learn.

Q: How would you describe the environment at Bellaire?

A: The teachers seem really devoted in a kind of non-stressful way, like it seems very welcoming. When I come in I feel very welcomed. Like hey we are in this together. Everyone is really excited to help.

Q: In your opinion, is teaching hard?

A: It is hard, some parts come easy to me and some don’t. But it is something I have to be passionate about. You have to be dedicated and devoted at all times. You have to be on. You can’t be behind. You have to be with the kids.

Q: What is your favorite part of being a teacher?

A: Like I said the kids. I also like collaborating with other teachers and having that connection.

Q:  What were your decisions in your earlier years that lead you to teaching?

A: I always thought I would be a director for the YMCA so I worked with kids as a kid. I was a babysitter. I was a nanny. I was a camp counselor, and then a camp manager. And then I got married and we had our kids and ended up moving into teaching.

Q: How do you use technology in your classroom?

A: The technology component is really great, and it is great that in HISD everybody gets a computer. I love Google Classroom, it makes things so much easier to interact with each other. I would say that is my favorite. There is also a new website that I love to do every day that I can put up all of the information on the screen, so they can have it on their screens. It’s called classroomscreen.com so that is a cool, innovative, new thing.

Q: What is your most memorable moment as a teacher?

A: I remember when I was teaching biology at the first high school that I taught at. There was this one student that was really struggling. He was a Special Ed student. And he felt like there was no way he could pass the STAAR test. And you know it was a struggle all year to get him through everything. And he ended up passing. And he came to me the start of the next year when he as a sophomore. He came running in and was so excited to tell me on the second day of school. So that was exciting!

Q: What are you most thankful for?

A: My family, I have a really great family.

Q: Is there anything you would like to add?

A: I am really happy to be here, and thanks for having me.