Doug D.

Villa Montessori (Middle School)

Doug Dziedzic is truly a dedicated and caring teacher. Doug taught me while I was in middle school at Villa Montessori School and he brought passion and compassion every day to the classroom. In September 2007 my father unexpectedly died and Doug was there not only to comfort me and my family, but to explain the sensitivity and situation to my peers. 12-14 year old kids can be both intentionally and unintentionally cruel. Doug was there to teach a life lesson, even though most of those he was teaching would not face the death of their parent for years to come. In the years since I've moved on to High School Doug, his wife and small child have remained close to our family. I've struggled with medical issues for the past 3 years and have had more than 6 surgeries along the way. Doug has continued to support me by sending encouraging quotes ("In our wounds we find our gifts" is my favorite), hospital visits and funny stories to lift my spirits. Math/Trigonometry has never been my strong subject and Doug, knowing money is very tight for my mother, volunteered to tutor me in math. Since the beginning of school he has come to our home for 1 1/2 hours at night, to help me better understand the theories and practices. My grade is a B+ and I grow stronger and smarter in this subject every week. Doug Dziedzic should be the KNIX & Fulton Homes teacher of the week because his actions, motivation and his true interest in cultivating and helping young minds dream, learn and live well is amazing. If I hadn't been fortunate enough to have been blessed by being a student of Doug, I likely wouldn't believe one teacher could help shape and support the life of a child as he has. A side note, in traditional Montessori classrooms, students rarely refer to their teacher as "Mr." or "Mrs."....all of my Montessori teachers from pre-primary through grade 8 were addressed by their first names. I attend Xavier College Prep currently and quickly noticed that most teachers are not addressed by first name!

Signed,
Kassidy Schmidt