Jennifer Passler: English Teacher

In room 201, at Arrowhead’s north campus, is English teacher Jennifer Passler, who has taught at Arrowhead for twenty-eight years. She teaches English, and has two different English courses this year.

 

“My classes this year are American Literature and British Literature. I really like them both–I can’t choose a favorite,” says Passler. “My favorite part about teaching in general is mostly the students. I love the material, but the students make it new every year. I don’t think I could reread the books every year, but students always have something new to say about each story.”

 

Passler started working at Arrowhead in 1994. “I admittedly liked school, so spending the rest of my life in a school didn’t seem that bad. It always sounded fun to me, like one big book club every day,” she says. “I always loved discussions in my English classes, too.”

 

Before starting to teach at Arrowhead, Passler worked at Kettle Moraine High School as an English teacher in 1993. “I worked part time, so I moved to Arrowhead to get a full time job,” she says.

 

Passler’s favorite thing about working at Arrowhead is the students. “This job makes me really happy,” she says. “How could it not? I encounter 180-plus students every day, and it’s such a cool statement about humanity. People are remarkably pleasant, if not enthusiastic.”

 

“Sometimes people have bad days, but we all do,” says Passler. “It’s an overall reminder of the continual positivity, and I try my best to accommodate.”

 

A junior, Nathanael Zabel, has taken one of Passler’s classes. “She’s nice, and she seems to really care about reading,” he says. “You’ll say something that’s really insightful or something she’s never heard before, and it looks like she has a moment of pure ecstasy.”

 

Another junior, Nathan Klauck, says, “She does seem really kind. She seems like a warm person to be around and a good teacher, too.”

 

“I plan to work at Arrowhead until I retire,” Passler says. “I’m excited for the years to come.”