Teacher of the Week: Brian Bajer, Special Education and History, Mahomet-Seymour High School

For Brian Bajer, the career search was an easy one. The former Southern Illinois baseball player never considered another profession.

In his 10th year at Mahomet-Seymour, Bajer fulfills many roles beyond the classroom, where he teaches special education and history.

“Mr. Bajer has the unique ability to connect with many people and students. He works hard to make sure all students are represented and feel welcome,” Principal Chad Benedict said. “Mr. Bajer invests in students in a multitude of avenues, from summer school, to baseball, to Friday mini-basketball shooting contests for candy; he makes sure students know that we are invested in them both in the classroom and out.”

I became a teacher because … I want to provide a supportive, welcoming and engaging educational environment to all students, no matter their background, abilities or previous experiences in school. Education is truly the only profession I ever considered pursuing, dating back to when I was a high school student. My educational experience was both impactful and positive; however, I fully understand that many have not had a similar one. My goal as an educator, coach and father is to always give back what has been given to me throughout my life.

My favorite/most unique lesson that I teach is … an interview project that I use toward the beginning of my civics class. As a class we discuss interview questions ahead of time and come up with a list, which they can use during their interview. The main objective is to find out what democracy means to the person they are interviewing and why they believe civics is important. Students are then able to ask any additional questions they wish in order to allow them to create a narrative essay about the discussions they had during their interview. Students must interview someone outside of their immediate family. Toward the end of the semester, we revisit the narrative essays to reflect and expand upon their previous conversations and how it compares to what they have learned throughout their time in civics.

My most fulfilling moment on the job is … when I have the opportunity to celebrate the success of the students I work with in class or the students on my caseload. Students battle obstacles of all shapes and sizes. Any opportunity that I have to show my students that their victory, no matter how big or small, is valued and deserves acknowledgement, is one that I am sure not going to pass up.

I keep students engaged … by using humor in the classroom. I don’t believe that students think that I am very funny. However, even bad jokes can brighten someone’s day or bring their attention back to what is taking place in the classroom.

Something else I’m passionate about is … athletics. I am a lifelong, avid sports fan. Competition is something that brings out the best in me. I played college baseball at Southern Illinois University and have been very fortunate to coach many athletes during my time here at MSHS. Coaching allows me to build relationships with a greater number of students within our district and is a very valued part of life. I currently coach baseball for the junior high and high school and have previously coached football within the district.

My favorite teacher was … John Elifson from Oak Forest High School, my alma mater. Interestingly enough, I never had John as a teacher, and much of my experience with him was in his role as the varsity assistant baseball coach. John Elifson also happens to be a special-education teacher. The role he played in my life extends much further than his role as my coach. In fact, much of my professional life is a mirror image of his. Coach Elifson was passionate about baseball, but what was even more evident was his passion for the students he served in the classroom.

If I weren’t a teacher, I would … work somewhere within the IT field. Technology and computing is something that comes naturally to me and it also happens to be an interest of mine. I consider it to be one of my more secret hobbies or interests that not many people know about me.

— ANTHONY ZILIS