2024 Hometown HEROES Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS June/July 2024 Page 29 prepared, always being one step ahead of the kids, and knowing not every day is going to be easy or blessed with a defining moment. His proudest moments are when he is fortunate enough to run into former students by chance or when they come back to visit him, and he can hear all about their lives as adults. Social media has also allowed him to stay connected with former students and watch their progress through life. He has many, many fond memories and said he wished he had kept a log of all the funniest, thoughtful, and not-so-funny memories. He claims it would be on the bestsellers list! One of those fond memories is when he caught a student cheating and as he came up behind the student in class the student dropped his cheat sheets on the floor. The first words out of the student’s mouth were “They’re not mine!” as his classmates chuckled. Another sweet story dear to his heart is about a little girl in a lower grade. As a staff member was reading a story to the class, the story mentions ‘a higher power.’ This little girl was intrigued by this and called out a couple of ideas of who she thought was the ‘higher power.’ Then with a huge look of excitement, she exclaimed “Do you mean that it is Mr. Neisler!?” Many years later when this little girl was a Senior in High School, she came back, and job shadowed in Mr. Neisler’s class. He reminded her of that day and told her she didn’t know it then, but she could have had anything she wanted that day! A recent student, Bhayleigh Osborn, has fond memories of Mr. Neisler and the first words about him were that he was always so nice to her. She had many stories of learning history in his class and the ‘News Game’ and the ‘Slides’ stand out as the most memorable. She said these games showed her how to find and appreciate history and current events happening around her. However, she was not fond of the monthly oral reports. She remembers always trying to get out of it and asking Mr. Neisler if she could do something else. However, she did admit that standing up in front of the class and reading these oral reports taught her to be more confident in herself. Former student Chassidy White, Class of 2006 writes: “When asked if there was anyone I would like to nominate for Hometown Heros I had only one answer. Jerry Neisler. There have been many great teachers throughout my academic career, but one that I can remember clearly is Jerry Neisler. I can vividly picture walking into the patriotic history room. Filled with New Holland Middletown Mustangs and the colors of red, white, and blue. Just like the presidents lining the walls of his room, you can feel the history this singular classroom holds.
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