Oak Lawn-Hometown teacher wins $1,000 from Bears, uses it to buy books for her students

Daily Southtown | Mar 01, 2021 at 3:45 PM Teacher Heather McCarthy, of Oak Lawn, displays the stacks of books she recently bought for her Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School students with money she got as part of a Chicago Bears Classroom Champion Award. (Heather McCarthy photo/HANDOUT) A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but a Chicago Bears Classroom Champion Award is worth $1,000. And $1,000 can buy a lot more words than a picture. Just ask Heather McCarthy, of Oak Lawn, who teaches seventh grade language arts at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School. Last October, she was surprised by Bears Chairman George McCaskey during one of her Zoom classes with the award, which comes with a personalized jersey, Bears swag, an autographed football and $1,000. Earlier this year, she used the prize money to buy 250 books for her students in conjunction with their Dream Career/Dream Books project. Advertisement “It was amazing to have this money,” McCarthy said. “To just be handed $1,000 and go book shopping — that’s my dream.” McCarthy launched the Dream Career project in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to focus less on the uncertainty of these times and instead look toward the future, employing her school’s motto of “Create a Dream. Make it a Reality!” Advertisement [Most read] Where are the Chicago speed cameras? Search our map for one near you » She asked students to create presentations that included word clouds featuring their positive attributes, the results of personality tests designed to see what careers matched their traits and their dream careers, McCarthy explained. Then, they researched those professions, from job description to salary to hours, as well as the education required. McCarthy said she wanted to avoid the cliché of telling students to have a backup plan when they tell someone their dream job, even if it is something like being a pro athlete in the NFL. She wanted them instead to think critically about what it takes to get there. She hopes the books can play a role in that. “I truly believe if you get the right book in the right kid’s hands at the right time, that can be life-changing,” McCarthy said. When McCarthy received the money, she asked her students what they should do with it. But they already had a pretty good idea of what it might be funding. “Fortunately, they went right for the books,” McCarthy said with a laugh. “At first, it was a little sarcastic: ‘I suppose we’re going to have to get books, right?’ Well, books are a good thing.” Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School teacher Heather McCarthy bundled all of the books she bought for her students with handwritten letters thanking them for their hard work this year. (Heather McCarthy photo) McCarthy ultimately decided to expand the careers project by letting students choose books related to their future careers, if they wanted. They also had the option of simply requesting books they have always wanted. Or, they could let McCarthy surprise them. “About half and half,” McCarthy said of what path the students took. “A lot of them chose books they really wanted to own — that they could have their own copy of.” In some cases, she paired those with another book in the series or another selection she thought they might like. McCarthy said they talk so much about books in her class that none of the requests came out of left field, but she was still taken off-guard by a trend that had little to do with her lessons. “I’m so surprised by how many kids are into these manga books,” she said, noting graphic novels in general were incredibly popular selections. “I learned a lot based on their choices.” Adding a personal touch to the book distribution, when McCarthy bundled the books for pickup she included a handwritten note for each student. The idea, she said, was to thank them for their perseverance and resilience during what has been a difficult school year. She said she simply wanted to let them know she was grateful for their hard work despite unique circumstances. “They’re doing amazingly well,” McCarthy said, noting most of her classroom has remained fully remote this year. “I’m so proud of them. I’m shocked by just how well they’re doing with everything.” Advertisement Classroom Champions is designed to honor teachers who go “above and beyond” to help their students, McCaskey told McCarthy when he dropped into her virtual class. The Bears got nominations for the award from all over the Chicago area but only chose eight recipients — one for each home game — during the most recent Bears season. “Thank you so much for all you do for the kids,” McCaskey said during the announcement. McCarthy was nominated for the award by her sister, Kim Rusch, who is a physical education teacher at Simmons Middle School in Oak Lawn. In her nomination form, Rusch cited the work McCarthy does for the social and emotional well-being of her students, including tackling social justice issues in her lessons. “Heather never hides from the tough topics,” she wrote. She also cited home deliveries McCarthy has made personally during the pandemic to make sure her students have what they need to learn. [Most read] Faced with rising crime and social upheaval, more Black Chicagoans are seeking out firearms for their own protection » “The bottom line is, she said ‘she’s there for whatever your students need,’” McCaskey said. Rusch said she nominated her sister as soon as she got an email about the program. She said she nominates McCarthy for just about everything she can because her sister is deserving of the recognition. “I think she epitomizes the phrase ‘not all superheroes wear capes,’’ Rusch said. Rusch noted their mother worked as a librarian at a high school. She said McCarthy’s attitude toward education, diversity and simply being a “kind, good person” are a testament to how their mother raised them. Rusch also said she had no doubt her sister would win the award. “I just assume she’s going to win everything, because I think she’s the most amazing person on earth,” Rusch said. “She does so much for these kids.” Jacki Stuckert, from left, community programs coordinator for the Chicago Bears, and Bears Chairman George McCaskey surprise Heather McCarthy with the Classroom Champion Award in October via an online meeting during one of her classes at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School. (Heather McCarthy photo) Meghan Bower, a public relations specialist for the Bears, added that McCaskey likes being part of the announcements himself. “He does enjoy honoring and surprising teachers and other community members whenever he can,” Bower said. “This program is especially great because we all remember teachers who made an impact on our own lives.” McCarthy said though she is a Bears fan, she was not aware of the honor before she received it. “I had actually never even heard of it before,” she said. “So, winning it was a complete surprise.” McCarthy said the day she received the award, her class had just begun, and she was easing the students into the day with some activities. She realized something might be happening when she tried to post a poll to her class but the function was not working. Then, other faces started joining the room. At that point, she was the only one in the dark on what was about to happen. [Most read] Ask Amy: Mom steals stories, and then shares » “My students knew about it,” she said. “My principal knew about it. Everybody knew about it but me.” Jacki Stuckert, the community programs coordinator for the Bears, also was on the call to congratulate McCarthy. She said the Classroom Champions program was developed this past fall. An internal committee selects the teachers and likes to notify them through surprises like this. “We know that teachers are the backbone of our communities, and we also know that much of what they do for students’ success is unseen,” Stuckert said. “It’s important to our organization to recognize these individuals at a public level.” Bill Jones is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Recommended on Chicago Tribune