Page 30 2024 Hometown HEROES Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS June/July 2024 “I had known Mr. Neisler as a young child as he taught my three older brothers. I have vivid memories as a young girl going and enjoying time in his room while my parents and brothers met with him and shared their projects. Upon entering the 7th grade I was excited to have a seat of my own in that very room. Anxiously waiting to start on the many projects my brothers had participated in before me. “Upon getting to have Jerry Neisler as my teacher for history as well as health and wellness, I came to know that he was a very devoted, loyal, and detailed teacher. He helped me along with my two classmates enter the history fair with a project on Abraham Lincoln’s Home in Springfield. IL. Making it all the way to the regionals is something I will carry with me for life. “Another great impact Mr. Neisler had on me the ability to utilize my right to vote! In order to get us to fully understand the election process he would host an entire mock election. Out of the 7th and 8th grade classes he taught, candidates would be selected, campaigns would be run, and then the entire school would come to the assembly and vote. There would be a voting booth present for after each candidate had their part in the debate. The students would then line up and place their vote privately in the booth. Teachers would then collect the ballots and announce the winner. I go back to this memory every time I have entered a voting booth in my adult life. “With NH-M being such a small school he filled many roles to help keep the school activities up and running. I recall him taking on the role of track coach even though he lives many miles away from the school. He would stay late on weeknights so that we could practice and show up early on Saturday mornings for us students to catch the bus to the meets. “After 31 years of being completely committed to one lucky little community, Mr. Neisler gets to retire with much love and respect from all of his current and former coworkers and students. He has impacted us all along the way, and that is why Jerry Neisler will always be a Hometown Hero in my eyesChassidy White.” The greatest validation that Mr. Neisler was living out his childhood dream in the world of teaching was when unexpectedly someone would remind him that he said this, or taught them that, or he heard of a success story by a former student as an adult. No matter what happened that day or week, that story or remembrance was all he needed to remind him that he was exactly where he needed to be and that he was fulfilling his dream of making a difference in someone’s life. When Mr. Neisler was asked what he wanted people to know about him, he replied “I may not always have been the best teacher, but nobody cared more about the school than I did, or nobody cared more about the people that were there than I did. I am humbled and grateful for all the kindness the school, kids, and parents have given me over the years, they have always been supportive of me, and it is genuinely appreciated.” Mr. Neisler is a huge fan of baseball and hockey and in retirement, he plans on fishing more, playing golf more, smoking meat on the grill, working in the garage and yard, and traveling with his wife. He also wants to explore painting landscape scenes and learning how to play the guitar.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzExODA=