Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Mutz-Balogh

I decided to write a spotlight on middle school science teacher Mrs. Mutz-Balogh because she has been one of the most supportive and understanding teachers I have ever had. She has been extremely patient with her students and gives honest feedback when necessary. She is very kind and open to helping with more than just science, including personal situations. She is definitely one of the people that have made me want to keep going.

Q: What made you want to teach?

A: “Well, to be honest, I wanted to be a nurse; I didn't really want to be a teacher. But my mom and my sister are both teachers and they absolutely love teaching. So, at that point, I decided to try teaching when I realized nursing was going to be a hard career with my husband being a full-time chef and being gone all summer. Now I absolutely love teaching.”

Q: What do you like most about being a teacher?

A: “What I like most about being a teacher is my students. They make me so happy every day. I feel like I get to learn and grow from them, and I feel like it was such a great community-they just they really do become like my own kids. Absolutely, the only reason why I do this job is for the kids.”

Q: What are some activities you enjoy doing that you would encourage your students to be involved in?

A: “What are some activities I enjoy doing? Oh my gosh, I love yoga! I think every kid needs to learn how to meditate, self regulate, calm themselves, and be grounded. They should go do yoga outdoors and get out into nature. I love it because it doesn't matter if you’re a good athlete or a bad athlete-you don't have to be athletic to do it. Every single human in the entire world can benefit from yoga, so I absolutely think we should all do yoga together.”

Q: What is a recent story you would like to share, and why do you want to tell it?

A: “I think one of my highlights from last year is that I actually watched a kid come in who didn't really seem to value or love education, and by the end of the year he had completely turned himself around in my class. He ended up getting a B, which science is a pretty tough class, and he just showed me that anybody can change. I think one of my favorite stories is that Ms. Clinton and I had a kid who dropped out, and we had all of our kids sign a poster. We went to his door-he had a jar at his home-and we left the poster inside the hallway so when he came down, all it said was ‘come back to school.’ The kid came back, and he still reaches out to us and says that the only reason that he ever graduated is because of that poster, because we actually took the time to go and check in on him and make him feel valued. So it's an older story, but that's probably one of my favorite stories.”

Q: How do you build trust and cultivate positive, respectful relationships with your students?

A: “I think I try to build trust by just being authentically who I am. For example, I'm never going to lie to a kid; I'm always gonna be honest them. I try to be a real, vulnerable human being, and I want to show them that I care about them. The main reason I'm here is for them-it's not about the science, it’s more about taking care of them.”

Q: What are some adjustments you'd like to make this school a better environment?

A: “If I can make the school better, I would separate the campuses and introduce many more activities and sports for middle schoolers. I feel like middle school often gets sucked into high school, and it prevents our kids from developing their own identity. So if I could change anything, I would actually physically change the space. I think the one thing I would be saddest about is that I don't get to watch my kids grow and graduate, and I'd love being here to see all their accomplishments throughout the year. But I think we need to do a better job for our middle school kids.”

Q: Describe a specific student you taught who did not respond well to your usual teaching style. What did you change to help them succeed?

A: “I mean, I think what I've learned in my 20 years of teaching is that I'm not for everyone. There are going to be kids who identify or bond more with different teachers and their teaching styles, and all I can do is just be who I am and do it the best way I can.”

Q: What goals do you have for yourself and these next few academic years?

A: “I think for me, I am always wanting to improve. I definitely want to learn more about technology because I'm terrible with it. I definitely feel like, as school climate is changing, I want to make sure that I still help kids to understand the value of education. I feel with all the AI, ChatGPT, and phones, sometimes kids don’t understand that you need to have really good foundational skills to be able to use those things. So I want to be able to incorporate more technology in a teaching way into my classroom.”

Thank you, Mrs. Balogh, for allowing me to interview you even when you're running from meeting to meeting. I appreciate her taking the time to talk more in-depth about her life. She has had a very meaningful influence on students' lives-like those mentioned, and myself included. I am very obliged for her work and ethics.

Image Courtesy of Mrs. Mutz-Balogh.