Teacher feature: It Takes a Lot of Heart

We know all teachers work hard, but some take on their own particular set of responsibilities aside from grueling over lesson plans. Here at Armijo, Mr. Chris Wiegand is a Resource Specialist, or Special Education teacher, who is responsible for twenty or so students a year. In addition to teaching and managing regular classes, he keeps track of these students’ services and makes sure they reach their maximum potential during their time here. If he could change anything about the school, he says he would make the attendance policy stricter, with greater consequences. He would also like to give students more options, and wishes the school would have more shop classes.

Mr. Wiegand hopes to continue to grow professionally. Though his workload is ever expanding, he intends to strengthen how he connects with students and improve how he may help their learning. A message he would give to students given the chance is, “Don’t let people take away your dreams.” Mr. Wiegand continues to pursue his dreams, and has already experienced some defining moments in his career. During the first of his 19 years teaching at Armijo (which he says is already part of the dream) he directed a play in our drama department that sold out every night. Ultimately, he would like to be the creative head of a theatrical production company involving both training and performance. In the meantime, he enjoys occasionally helping out the current drama department and optimizing the education of his current students. In his spare time, Mr. Wiegand is a professional writer, with two published novels and a third on the way. He spends a lot of time reading, his favorite book being The Once and Future King by T.H. White, which has piqued his interest in King Arthur.

Despite his many activities and occupations, Mr. Wiegand is executing everything well. His final comment comes at no surprise. He assures the student body that “it’s not as hard as it looks.”