Published Nov. 20, 2008


                                                 60 SECONDS

LOUISE PERKOWSKI

HAS TAUGHT ALL PRIMARY GRADES BUT KINDERGARTEN • GREW UP IN CONNECTICUT • ENJOYS READING HISTORICAL FICTION
WIFE TO DAVE AND MM TO JOHN, 25, AND TWINS
ALEX AND MARK, 22

Louise Perkowski loves everything about teaching second grade. “I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a little girl,” the 22-year Hinsdale resident said. “I just love working with the children and seeing the wonderful progress they make during the course of the year. We just have so much fun and they’re so enthusiastic about learning.” Perhaps the second-graders at Walker School catch some of their enthusiasm from Perkowski. Ask her to name a favorite unit that she teaches and she can hardly pick one. “We do an amazing family heritage project,” she said. The students send out questionnaires asking their relatives to recall their second-grade experiences. “The students get this big picture of what life was like when grandma and grandpa were little.” One student received a letter from her 100-year-old great-grandmother. “The kids were fascinated by what her life was like,” Perkowski said. “The kids were so in awe of this, and I was, too.” She also enjoys the fairy tale unit, the community unit, the whale unit and the poetry unit. “I love it all. I love everything we do in second grade,” she said. Perkowski, who has taught second grade most of her career, said this is a particularly good age to teach. “They are still anxious to please the teacher and I also love how they work with each other,” she said. “They’re so kind and encouraging to each other. I love to see that.” She also appreciates how much they learn during the year. “They come in already knowing how to read and we just take it to the next level,” she said. “They go from reading picture books to chapter books. The growth is just amazing in second grade. I love to help them stretch their education.” She also appreciates the support she gets from parents in the community. “The students take so much pride in their work and they want to share that with their parents,” she said. “The parents are so supportive and so encouraging and they make every effort to come into the classroom. We work closely with the parents in educating the children. The parents are terrific here.” When Perkowski isn’t teaching, she enjoys spending time outdoors. She and fellow second-grade teacher Sherri Lee run together before school. “We run five miles every morning,” Perkowski said. “We also walk a lot.” She also likes to bike. “I’m always biking around town or through the forest preserve. Anything that’s outdoors and involves exercise, I love to do.” Perkowski said teaching was a great career to have while raising a family. “We all did homework around the kitchen table,” she said. “Thanks to a supportive husband, I was able to continue working while raising children,” she said. Perkowski, who has been teaching since she graduated from the University of Illinois in 1977, said she can’t imagine a day when she won’t be in the classroom. “I love this too much and I’m going to teach as long as I can, for as long as I’m healthy.”

 

— by Pamela Lannom