Once a teacher, always a teacher: Vehige named R-II Teacher of the Year
Posted 11/7/19
By Madeleine Sutherland Record Staff Writer Eileen Vehige spent most of her life preparing to be a kindergarten teacher. That preparation was rewarded this year when she was announced as the Wright …
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Once a teacher, always a teacher: Vehige named R-II Teacher of the Year
Posted
By Madeleine SutherlandRecord Staff WriterEileen Vehige spent most of her life preparing to be a kindergarten teacher.That preparation was rewarded this year when she was announced as the Wright City R-II School District Teacher of the Year.Other nominees for the award were Sally Stever, Wright City West Elementary; Lisa Janas, Wright City Middle School; and Matt Brooks, Wright City High School.Vehige, who teaches at Wright City East Elementary, was announced as the winner last month.The youngest of seven siblings, Vehige was around children from an early age.“I have lots of nieces and nephews, so I was always surrounded by children from day one. I always felt that was my comfort zone,” she said.As a child, Vehige struggled with reading. A family move in the first grade placed Vehige in a brand new school district, which added to her stress. When her second grade teacher saw her struggling she stepped in to help.Vehige became a better reader with the help which was a major influence in her in becoming an educator.“Mrs. Smoltz took me by her side and gave me extra help. She just built up my confidence,” she said. “I went from not wanting to go to school to wanting to be a teacher.”Once set on her dream, Vehige began to focus her life toward the service of children. She worked babysitting and daycare jobs during high school and college to prepare herself for teaching.Vehige finally began her career as a kindergarten teacher in the Meramec Valley R-III School District after obtaining her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. After some time there, she moved to the Rockwood School District.In 2005, Vehige took a leave of absence in order to care for her son, who was born prematurely.During her time away from teaching, Vehige never lost her love of education. After a move to Wright City, she spent time as vice president of the PTO group and as a school board member for the Holy Rosary School in Warrenton.“Even though I was officially not teaching, I still found myself in the classroom,” she said. “Once you’re a teacher, you’re always a teacher. I couldn’t get myself totally out of it.”When Vehige’s son was old enough to begin kindergarten, she knew it was time to return to the job she loved. She joined the West Elementary staff in 2011 as a reading interventionist and moved to her current position as a kindergarten teacher in 2013.Vehige stated that her main goal in teaching is to instill the love of learning, reading and writing in children. She feels the best way to do so is to form bonds with her students.“I still keep in contact with kids from years ago,” she said. “It’s those relationships I build with families and students that help a child learn. Relationships are the key to success.”Vehige described winning the award as a humbling experience and credited her co-workers with helping her along the way.“I truly love what I do,” Vehige said. “At this point I can’t imagine doing anything else.”Vehige will be entered into a pool of other winning teachers from around the state to compete for the statewide honor. The winner will be announced this summer.
The Wright City R-II School District recently named Eileen Vehige as its 2015 Teacher of the Year. Vehige joined the district in 2011 and currently teachers kindergarten at East Elementary. Other teachers nominated were Sally Stever, West Elementary; Lisa Janas, middle school; and Matt Brooks, high school. Submitted photo.
