Helen Mundell hangs her race medals on the bulletin board in her classroom at Fegely Middle School. She has completed ten marathons, including the Boston Marathon – one of the world’s most prestigious races. Her favorite thing about long races is being on a training schedule.
“I like always having a goal,” says Mundell. “That’s just a built-in thing I have, always having something to look forward to. Since I've started I bring my medals into school and the kids like to look at them. It shows them to never quit trying, that there is always something else they can do.”
Mundell got her start teaching English at Portage High School in 1993.
“What an exciting year that was,” says Mundell. “I was hired two days before my wedding. I graduated, got married, and started my first teaching job the same year.”
After having two daughters, she became involved in the community as a Girl Scout leader, a Calumet Region Striders running coach for children ages 8 and younger, and a soccer coach with the Valparaiso Parks department. When her daughters got older and she found herself itching for a new challenge, she accepted a position at Fegely Middle School teaching English 2011.
“I love the middle school environment. Kids at this age are so smart, yet so vulnerable, and it is a privilege to get to be a part of their lives and to help them to grow, learn and to figure things out. Not a day goes by that they don’t make me laugh and that they don’t make me thankful for my job. I am blessed.”
At Fegely Middle School, teachers team up in groups of five and meet three times a week to discuss how to best assist students that are having difficulty. Mundell’s co-workers describe her as a “Rock Star English Teacher.”
“As far as being a rock star…I’m flattered,” she laughed. “I enjoy the kids every day, and I love being a part of the Fegely family. If that shows in my work, then I am doing it right. I try to change it up all the time. I’m never married to my lesson plans, it’s more about connecting with the kids. You have to have the content but you have to make it matter to the kids.”
Part of the curriculum in the State of Indiana is the study of the Diary of Anne Frank.
“It’s the kids’ favorite thing to study, but we wait until the end of the year to teach it. By that time they are a little more mature and can have more compassion. She was the same age as them and they can really relate to her and how she feels.”
“I love that I get to come to a job that I love every day. I never dread coming to work. I love working with kids, it’s exciting to see them grow up. I love working with a team. You are a part of something bigger. It is really cool to be a small piece of the big picture. The only thing I don’t like about teaching is that I can’t take days off to travel during the school year. I love traveling with my family and it is most expensive in the summer.”
When school year is over, Mundell and her family travel the world together and visit new places. They have been all over the United States, to Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, and Spain. Their favorite place to visit so far has been Costa Rica.
“It was one big adventure! We went zip lining, waterfall rappelling, white water rafting, horseback riding, rock climbing, and saw an active volcano. Another cool thing we did was slot canyoning in Utah, like James Franco in that movie ‘127 Hours’. It was amazing and really scary and exciting."
"It's important to travel and see things. I like to do what the world has to offer.”
Mundell resides in Valparaiso with her husband and two daughters.