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Health & Fitness

Geneva High School Teacher Mrs. Dispensa—The Indispensable Teacher

Chemistry teacher making an impact on students in and out of the classroom

There are many truly great teachers at . Though from my experiences, no educator is more complete than chemistry teacher Cheryl Dispensa.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have had some of the best teachers Geneva has to offer. Mr. Hatczel is one of the coolest teachers I’ve ever talked to and taught me how to use Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel efficiently. Mrs. Toldness is one of the nicest teachers I’ve ever talked to and provided me with invaluable volunteer opportunities. Mr. Hahn helped me comprehensively understand how America became the world power it is today in his U.S History class. 

They are all great teachers, no doubt, but no teacher has made the profound impact on me that Mrs. Dispensa has. I was never a fan of science—especially the year before I had Mrs. Dispensa, when I took biology. I didn’t go into the year with hopeful thoughts of enjoying the class by any means. My opinion of chemistry quickly turned 180 degrees just days after being in Mrs. Dispensa’s class.

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I instantly noticed that Mrs. Dispensa was different from most teachers. She legitimately cared about her students and wanted them to not only succeed in her class, but also truly learn the science of chemistry. 

Her classroom philosophy exemplifies her philosophies in life. After her comprehensive lesson she gives on part of the chapter, Mrs. Dispensa often gives time at the end of class for students to start on their homework. While they are working on the homework, she goes around the classroom and makes sure every student understands the material. If they don’t, she’ll change that.

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“I think it’s important to get a feel for what everybody is doing,” said Mrs. Dispensa. “I know some kids may not feel comfortable coming to me, so I come to them. I feel like everyone can learn chemistry, if they give me the opportunity to teach it to them, they’ll get it.”

Mrs. Dispensa’s belief is that everyone can do well in chemistry, even if it’s a difficult subject to grasp. Nobody is allowed to fail her class. Some teachers may have students who are failing but the teacher doesn’t really care. With Mrs. Dispensa that’s “not OK.”  It’s never really been a problem, though, with the way she is able to connect with her students.

This connection is why she is the epitome of a high school chemistry teacher. She has the whole package: extremely intelligent, unequivocally passionate, extraordinarily kind, uniquely caring, and so on. Heck, she even has a great sense of humor, keeping the mood light and her students engaged. 

It’s not hard to see why students enjoy being in Mrs. Dispensa’s classroom so much. It’s easy to learn from somebody who really knows what they’re talking about. Mrs. Dispensa has a master’s degree in chemistry, rather than simply a degree in education, as some teachers have. She was originally going to become a chemist, but she didn’t like working in the lab as much as she thought she would.  She decided to give teaching a try.

“I could easily help others. I helped people in my dorm with their chemistry homework,” she said. “I liked chemistry because it had a definitive answer, and it was more hands-on.” 

Students aren’t the only ones recognizing her teaching ability. Last year, Mrs. Dispensa won the D.L. Hoeft High School Teacher of the Year award. Mrs. Grubaugh, a librarian at Geneva High School, thought it was well-deserved.

“She truly is a gifted teacher. All three of my kids had her, and they loved her,” said Mrs. Grubaugh. “She explains things well, knows what she’s talking about, and genuinely cares about her students. She has it all.”

Mrs. Dispensa felt the best part of receiving the honor was the feedback she received from so many different people.

“I enjoyed and appreciated the letters I received from parents, teachers and former students. It was a humbling experience,” she said.

Students love having her as a teacher not only because of how smart she is, but because she mixes that brainpower with a respectful, caring personality that she brings every day. She has never sent a student to the dean’s office in her 18 years. That’s a testament to the respect that Mrs. Dispensa and her students have for one another. 

If she does find someone doing something they shouldn’t be doing, she has a creative “punishment” for them. 

“I once had a student who squirted a water bottle at other students. I made him stay after school and wash dishes in the lab. I call it dish duty,” she said with a smile.

Instead of giving the student the typical detention slip, she wanted to show that she disapproved of the action but that she knows the student just made a silly mistake and that more-serious repercussions were unnecessary.

It’s that kind of intuition she possesses that she applies to the variety of entailments of being a teacher.

When asked what winning last year’s high school teacher of the year award and receiving the unwavering respect of her students meant to her, she replied, “It makes you feel significant, that you’re making a difference.”

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