Mr. Schnotala is notorious for his challenging course load and high expectations for his freshman Honors English students. Despite teaching a limited schedule, Mr. Schnotala is hardly ever free. Between classes, planning, union work, and theater, he gets little time to himself.
Regardless, he still puts his all into drawing out the potential in all of his students, pushing them to become a better version of themselves. Though at first meeting he might appear to be strict and overly theatrical. Along the way though, you’ll learn more things about the teacher that lets you know he’s one of the most caring people you’ll ever meet.
After school, Schnotala is found at theater with a small group of theater troupe members.
The theater at the junior high is currently under construction and has been for two years now, leaving little opportunities for the group to perform as usual. “We’re excited for the remodeled fine arts center for Wyoming and we’re excited to celebrate in the fall,” Schnotala exclaimed.
Despite this, the group remains positive and hopes to bring in new members next year when the theater renovations will be complete.
“There will likely be a musical in the fall,” Schnotala admitted. He even has a plan for future recruitment. Despite the past couple of years of radio silence, he believes it won’t be an issue to gather newcomers. “You have to get the word out there because students rarely listen to announcements and they often ignore posters,” he said. “I’ve been, for the last couple of years, keeping my little list of students who have a flair for the drama, so when the time comes I’ll reach out to them.”
Mr. Schnotala also enjoys incorporating theater into his Honors English class. He often finds that connecting the two keeps the class engaging for those seemingly uninterested.
“I have always used theatrical skills and theater techniques in my classroom to keep it engaging,” he explains. “I’m theatrical, I’m dramatic. I try and engage the students by connecting to their real life which is what theater does.”
Engagement, he believes, doesn't only come from theater – It also comes from difficult coursework. Often the main cause of complaints in Schnotala’s classroom, some may find this surprising. But to Mr. Schnotala, this is to be expected. “Even though students sometimes say ‘Oh I don’t want to do it, it's so hard’, it is what helps engage them. I think students get disengaged when they don’t feel challenged,” Schnotala explained.
It seems that Schnotala was always meant to be a teacher. Even he knew himself in the second grade. After a dispute with a substitute teacher over what objects were constituted to be ‘girl’ and ‘boy’ things, Schnotala made a declaration that stuck with him for the rest of his life and still rings true today. “I said, someday I’m gonna be a teacher and I’m gonna let my students be who they are and not have to conform to what some people think is typical of boys and girls,” Schnotala proclaimed. This type of thinking is what turned him into the teacher he is today.
And ever since then, he’s kept his promise. He still holds a passion for influencing the young souls of today, like the freshman of the school. It’s not an accident that he teaches this age though. “I’ve taught freshmen my whole career and I love freshmen,” Schnotala confessed. “Their name denotes that they’re new and fresh to high school and I like that because it’s a way to mold them and impact them right at the start of their whole English four-year journey in high school.”
His passion for teaching is known, but why does he teach at Wyoming? Well, what Mr. Schnotala enjoys the most about this district we call home is the diversity. “I love the diversity of Wyoming,” he said. “I love that we celebrate all students. We celebrate their race, we celebrate their sexual orientation and their individuality. Wyoming accepted me when I came out as gay and it’s felt like home ever since.”
Mr. Schnotala is a vital member of the Wyoming High School staff and it is impossible to imagine a school without him in it. We are truly lucky to have Schnotala as a member of our community.