“I don’t know if students conceptualize the lives of teachers.” — Ms. Ahlmann

Teachers have lives? They keep up with classic traditions? Travel anywhere besides home and school? Shocking.

Read on to see what your EPHS teachers are doing this winter break!

Mrs. Cleys, Social Studies Teacher

What are you looking forward to most for the winter break?

A: Mostly sleeping. I’m also going to Florida to see my sister and her 100 kids. She just had another one, so I get to meet my new niece, Frankie.

What are your favorite parts of the holiday season?

A: I love getting gifts, mostly. I guess I like giving gifts, as well. I also really like to travel. I usually use this time to travel, specifically somewhere warm, because I don’t like the cold. [Note from Editor: Mrs. Cleys lives in Chicago.]

What traditions do you partake in?

A: I just got married so we’re developing some new traditions. We are really hoping to make it a tradition to go to the Christkindlmarket in the city every year — that’ll be exciting. I also really love a big breakfast with family on Christmas morning. I think that’s a nice tradition, too.

What do you think most students assume about teachers on break? 

A: I assume they think that we are only teachers — that we will only be working. I don’t think they know that we leave school. I feel like they think our only job is to make their lives miserable.

If you were writing a letter to Santa, what would you ask for?

A: A million dollars! Realistically, an Apple watch or cream-colored Jordans.

What Christmas item are you?

A: Candy Cane / Sweet, Caring, Loyal

Mr. Blake, English Teacher

What are you looking forward to most for the winter break?

A: My band is playing over the winter and my whole family will be home to see it, which is great. My daughter has never seen me on a stage with my band. It’s aggressive music — she doesn’t like it — so it’ll be the first time she sees me play. It’ll be a lot of fun, very nerve-wracking. It’s different when someone you care about is sitting there; it’s like oh-my-goodness. 

What are your favorite parts of the holiday season?

A: The break from school. It’s good and much needed, so I am looking forward to that, too.

What traditions do you partake in?

A: We are a stay-at-home family for Christmas, so we do a lot of local different things. We try to hit the sledding hills and we’ll have the kids’ friends over for their own Christmas.

What do you think most students assume about teachers on break? 

A: I don’t think it’s necessarily attached to the break or a holiday. I think they think (my closet opens), the bed’s there and I just sleep there. And then in the morning,  they come in.

If you were writing a letter to Santa, what would you ask for?

A: The selfish answer would be a specific snare drum made by Drum Workshop Inc. It’s an expensive piece so that’s what I would put on the list. The corny answer: if I could be granted health to everyone in my family. 

What Christmas item are you?

A: Angel / Beautiful, Compassionate, Magical

Mr. Swanson, Science Teacher

What are you looking forward to most for the winter break?

A: Probably sleeping, and that’s the same answer every student and every teacher is going to say. I don’t know…sleep a little bit, get the chance to do nothing a little bit. I’m also going to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Being in the sunshine will be really nice and fun. And I’m Vitamin D deficient, so my doctor prescribed the visit. He said I should go.

What are your favorite parts of the holiday season?

A: For me, spending time with family is a good, big thing. I love winter snow and winter weather. It reminds me of the homeland. [Note from Editor: Mr. Swanson is Scandinavian but was born in Evanston.]

What traditions do you partake in?

A: In Swedish heritage, there’s something called Santa Lucia (December 13th). Swedish women wear candles on their heads and have this special bread they bring. It commemorates that someone brought food to Christians hiding in Roman catacombs. I should know more, but I like it mostly because of the bread. We also do smorgasbords. It’s like a Swedish buffet: a lot of Swedish meatballs and Swedish pancakes. No Swedish fish – we just call them fish. If you’ve never been to Sweden, just go to IKEA. It’s pretty close. 

What do you think most students assume about teachers on break? 

A: I don’t think they think that we exist on break. 

If you were writing a letter to Santa, what would you ask for?

A: Probably one of those super high-end coffee makers (Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine). I would never buy that for myself, cause it’s like a thousand dollars, and I can’t justify that. 

What Christmas item are you?

A: Angel / Beautiful, Compassionate, Magical

Mrs. Heinen, English Teacher

What are you looking forward to most for the winter break?

A: I’m looking forward to doing holiday activities with our son. I would like to take him to Santa, to see the lights outside or a train of some sort. I also would like to take him sledding. I’m looking forward to planning play dates with friends for him. Me, personally, I’m looking forward to just being able to have a fire and watch Christmas movies.

What are your favorite parts of the holiday season?

A: Eating!! That’s huge. Italians, we have a lot of seafood. We’ll have clams, fish, octopus, shrimp, crab, and squid...and all the other food that comes with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. 

What traditions do you partake in?

A: I would want to start the tradition of sledding for the baby. Movies and decorating are my tradition for sure. Christmas parties with friends, wearing ugly Christmas sweaters and participating in White Elephant gift exchanges.

What do you think most students assume about teachers on break? 

A: I don’t think they think about us or really care what we’re doing, which is understandable. They’re pretty focused on themselves, their own lives, and their friends.

If you were writing a letter to Santa, what would you ask for?

A: Unlimited travel budget. I would love to go to Belgium, Rome, or Germany during the wintertime. I also have Argentina and Portugal on my list. Oh! And somewhere exotic, like in South Africa for a safari or something like that. I love traveling.

What Christmas item are you?

A: Candy Cane / Sweet, Caring, Loyal

Mr. Contreras, Spanish & Emergent Bilingual Teacher

What are you looking forward to most for the winter break?

A: I‘m looking forward to relaxing and making sure that I get a chance to recoup so that I can come back to school and be energized.

What are your favorite parts of the holiday season?

A: Getting gifts, that’s my favorite part. I love getting gifts, giving gifts, unwrapping presents, and eating! My favorite gift I’ve ever gotten was a coffee mug I got last year. It had my name on it and it was really cool.

What traditions do you partake in?

A: My family has a lot of traditions. For New Year’s, in Latino culture, you’re supposed to take a suitcase around your living room – that brings you good luck on trips. Then, you take a big bucket of water and throw it out the window/door to throw away the bad spirits. There’s also a tradition of eating 12 grapes for New Year’s Eve so that every month you get really good luck.

What do you think most students assume about teachers on break? 

A: That we are reading and doing homework all the time. Or that we don’t have Christmas or lives. That’s what I thought when I was a kid in school. I used to think the teachers would go in a box. And whenever school started again, they would come out of the box. As a kid, it would be so weird to see a teacher out in a grocery store, like “What are you doing” or “Oh, you eat?”

If you were writing a letter to Santa, what would you ask for?

A: I don‘t think I would ask anything for myself. I would ask for other people. There are so many people going hungry right now: those who are homeless or came to this county and don’t have any place to go. I would for sure ask Santa: “Hey, how about giving people who need food, shelter, or basic things, like get them those things.” I don’t know, I think I’m a softie when it comes to stuff like that.

What Christmas item are you?

A: Angel / Beautiful, Compassionate, Magical

Ms. Ahlmann, English Teacher

What are you looking forward to most for the winter break?

A: Relaxation, definitely. I’m looking forward to not having to set an alarm clock. It’s hard, especially this month. 

What are your favorite parts of the holiday season?

A: I enjoy the community of it. It’s traditionally a time when a lot of people want to get together. Paradoxically, it can equally be exhausting but it’s good to hear from people. They’re important people to you, but life gets busy. It’s good to have a break and be able to catch up. There’s a lot of truth to the concept of holiday cheer. You’re seeing them in a happy moment. You’re not there to console, just to be there in good spirits together.

What traditions do you partake in?

A: My grandparents on both sides are German, so Saint Nick comes on December 6th/7th. Traditionally, growing up, we would go to church on Christmas Eve. My family celebrates Christmas Eve. There are traditions around December, too, that my family has started. We’ll do a cookie day where we all make cookies. Mine are a hit or miss — I’m by no means a baker. But the ones that I created this year are edible, for the most part [applause]. I don’t know if I would say good, but, yes, you can eat them. My high school friends and I usually pick a day and try to get together. It’s always cool to see them. Christmas movies are a go-to. I don’t like re-watching things excessively. I’ll watch “Elf” once a season; I’ll watch “Home Alone” once or twice, but it’s not an excessive amount. My go-to Christmas movie is “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and only the first two “Home Alone” movies.

What do you think most students assume about teachers on break? 

A: I don’t know if students conceptualize the lives of teachers. Students kind of focus, and it’s normal and natural to this developmental age, but they kind of see the world through their experience. I’m sure students are aware that we have lives and families — that we’re with them. But I don’t know if they go too deep into that. I would guess they just think we’re just hanging out at home with our family.

If you were writing a letter to Santa, what would you ask for?

A: I’m known to be very sarcastic, so my gut reaction is a sarcastic response. Sarcastically and bleakly, I saw a post that said, “I don’t know like a sense of purpose,” but I very much find purpose in what I do, so that is 100% sarcasm. I think I would ask Santa for flight tickets to, somewhere overseas, maybe Australia. 

What Christmas item are you?

A: Candy Cane / Sweet, Caring, Loyal

Let the Break Begin

As students count down to winter break, it’s clear that our teachers are anticipating the time off, too! Don’t forget to wish them a wonderful break; after all, it seems like they’re already expecting an amazing one!

CLICK HERE to take the Christmas Item Test and discover which Christmas item you are!

Works Cited

• Ahlmann, Kendal. Interview. Conducted by Yeimi Alday. 8 December 2023.
• Blake, Martin. Interview. Conducted by Yeimi Alday. 7 December 2023.
• BurtMacklin. “Answer 7 Festive Questions to Find out Which Classic Christmas Item You Embody.” BuzzFeed, 21 Nov. 2022, www.buzzfeed.com/hazzajbazza/christmas-item-personality-quiz. 
• Cleys, Vanessa. Interview. Conducted by Yeimi Alday. 7 December 2023.
• Contreras, Rafael. Interview. Conducted by Yeimi Alday. 11 December 2023.
• Heinen, Christina. Interview. Conducted by Yeimi Alday. 8 December 2023.
• Swanson, Seth. Interview. Conducted by Yeimi Alday. 8 December 2023.