This year has seen the addition of many new teachers to the HCCPHS roster. All of them are constantly adding and changing the culture of our school for the better as they find their place.

   Mrs. Joanna Bölzle is among this group of newcomers, and teaches DC U.S. History, AVID, and freshmen World Geography. With her teaching career going on seven years strong, it’s apparent that Bölzle has a lot of appreciation for the job.

   “I think what I love most about teaching is that it’s unpredictable,” Bölzle said. “I’m not just going to go to work from nine to five, going through the same routines and talking to the same exact people. It’s able to change from day to day.” 

   Her passion all began from Mr. Heinstra, a DC U.S. History teacher she had at Mayde Creek High School over in Houston.

   “He had such a passion for teaching,” Bölzle said. “He really made sure that we were able to succeed, not only in our high school career, but also in college.” 

   When it came time to go to college, Heinstra’s passion stuck out to her, and she decided to get her teachers certification and masters degree in order to teach dual credit.

   “History is definitely my favorite subject to teach, because while the facts are set in stone, there are multiple ways to interpret it, and there are multiple perspectives, so no one is really wrong when they interpret history or ask questions,” Bölzle said.

   She chose to teach history because she always loved to learn about it throughout all of her schooling.

   “I’ve always been really bad at math, and I don’t think I’m poetic enough to be an English teacher, but history, like I said, you can really interpret it in many ways, and you can sort of use it to predict the future,” Bölzle said.

   She has gone on to state that it’s complicated to teach dual credit because she is trying to strike a balance between teaching to students who are still in high school, and trying to prepare them for the complexities of college. This is apparent in her classroom where, in some instances, the college will want her students to write a DBQ, so instead of having every student research and write one individually, she’ll take the research apart and structure it as a group activity, while still having the actual writing portion individually assigned. 

   “Some professors just make you teach yourself while they just sit there and lecture for the full hour and a half, and I couldn’t do that, it’d be boring,” Bölzle said. “So, trying to make it super interactive and interesting while also preparing you for college makes it complicated.”

   It’s apparent that, just like the teacher who inspired her, Bölzle has a passion for what she does, which may in turn lead to her being an inspiration for others in their lives too.