Inviting and Advising: Teachers Emily Colebank, Mallory Dittemore and Susan Hallstrom have become known at East for relating with their students

Walking straight to room 418 as the bell rings after school, sophomore Maddie Doyle couldn’t wait to tell math teacher Emily Colebank all of the week’s latest drama. Doyle told her about her relationship and the recent fight in her friend group. She knew Colebank would give great advice and listen to what was going on in her life — both things Colebank is known for.

“She doesn’t hide her flaws like other teachers do, which just makes her so much more relatable and easier to talk to,” Doyle said. “She says things like ‘I wear sweatpants everyday because I just like to keep it real.’ She definitely keeps it real. She’s not fake at all.”

Doyle feels like she can tell Colebank anything without judgement. Colebank fosters this type of environment — she starts class by asking how everyone has been doing to make sure her students know she cares.

“She’s always so supportive,” Doyle said. “Even if you’re just like, ‘Oh look, I got a 70% on my test,’ she’ll say, ‘Yeah, that’s better than a D!’ She finds positive parts in everything.”

Colebank tries to keep her class interesting by making jokes — even if no one laughs at them. The peppiness and excitement she brings to every period makes even the most complicated of math equations enjoyable, according to Doyle.

Colebank is more like a friend to Doyle — who says that being able to learn math while also feeling like you’re hanging out with a pal makes going to Honors Algebra 2 each day much more bearable.

“It’s nice to have teacher relationships within the school,” Doyle said. “You have your friend relationships and that’s great, but when you have relationships with a teacher, it just makes school more bearable because you can look forward to that class.”

Sophomore Vivian Strack first entered Chemistry teacher Susan Hallstrom’s classroom on the first week of school excited to learn about the new subject. But after seeing all of the assignments on the calendar, Strack became overwhelmed with the amount of work the class would require. She instantly panicked and questioned whether the class would be something she could handle.

“I actually started crying in front of [Hallstrom],” Strack said. “I didn’t think I could handle the class and she told me to snap out of it. She hugged me and we walked down the hallway and she told me, ‘You can do this.’ It was so refreshing to hear.”

Now six months later, Strack appreciates the challenges that Honors Chemistry brings her. In fact, she even looks forward to the class. From singing the ‘Electromagnetic Spectrum’ song to the class’s bond over their “shared suffering,” Hallstrom’s classroom has created a community for Strack to enjoy during her challenging course load.

“You can tell that Hallstrom is really passionate about what she does,” Strack said. “It’s not like she wakes herself up and then dreads going to school just to teach the same thing over and over. She’s excited to teach people about things that they could possibly enjoy.”

Sophomore Margot Beaver is another one of Hallstrom’s super-fans. Beaver enjoys how Hallstrom tries to keep her class light — whether it’s sharing how she “bullied” administration into giving her two MacBooks, shooting Nerf guns or lighting off explosives in Mr. Martin’s room. Hallstrom keeps a balance between science and fun that students enjoy, according to Beaver. 

“She once made us sing the electromagnetic spectrum song because she wanted [chemistry teacher] Mr. Appier to hear it and be jealous,” Beaver said. “And so she was screaming the lyrics along with us. And then she got out her phone and she was swaying the flashlight like you would at a concert. And then we were all swaying our flashlights and belting this song.”

Due to the difficulty of honors chemistry, the students spend a lot of time outside of class studying and reviewing practice problems, prompting them to reach out to Hallstrom for extra help. Students have not only bonded with her, but with each other, creating a dynamic in which they can rely on each other for help.

Standing outside of her classroom, business teacher Mallory Dittemore greets all of her students with a “Hey, how’s it going?” and pop music playing in her classroom.

Dittemore starts off each class with a question of the day, ranging from Sweetheart dance plans to Super Bowl predictions. These questions have not only helped with getting to know each other better but they show that Dittemore wants to hear about what you’re saying, according to sophomore Anna Thelen.  

“She’ll actually listen to what you have to say and you can tell she’s really interested, even if it’s something small,” Thelen said. “She doesn’t just ask these questions to kill time.”

Thelen isn’t in Dittemore’s class anymore, but she still visits her at least once a week. From coming to her classroom before and after school to saying hello in the hallways, Dittemore has shown that she’s worth staying connected to, even after only having begun teaching at East this year.

Students outside of Dittemore’s class admire how she has also taken on the job of freshman girls basketball coach, assistant cross country coach and assistant DECA sponsor, further strengthening her relationships with students outside of her class roster. She challenges her players while also celebrating their accomplishments with gifts like cookies after celebrating their first win as a team, according to freshman Sophia Beedle, who has Dittemore as her basketball coach. 

“She treats us not like little kids, but like young adults and gives us responsibilities,” Beedle said. “She really wants us to have fun when we’re playing basketball. So she makes that a top priority for us, while also calling us out when we aren’t playing as well as we should.”