Mary Van Ryswick has spent more than 10 years being a dedicated teacher. The kindergarten teacher at St. Michael’s School in Ridge, Md., recently won the 2008 Sister Mary Lucille RSM Outstanding Teacher Award. The late Tim Russert created the $1,500 award in 1996 for one archdiocesan elementary school teacher each year.
“I do it for the kids. As long as they are happy, I am happy,” said Van Ryswick, who added she always knew she wanted to be a teacher, but had some concerns about teaching kindergarten. “Being left-handed, my biggest fear was being able to teach the kids how to write.”
Those fears have since been brushed aside as Van Ryswick has made strong bonds with her students. She has kept in contact with all her past classes. Her first class, which she taught in 1996, will be high school seniors this upcoming school year.
Principal Lila Hofmeister, in her third year at St. Michael’s, has observed the effect Van Ryswick has on the kids. “Her students are highly motivated and always engaged, having fun but learning at the same time,” Hofmeister said. The principal also has witnessed Van Ryswick from a parent’s perspective, having had three of her own children taught by Van Ryswick.
Developing a buddy system in which eighth-grade students partner with pre-K and kindergarten students for Mass, crafts and social activities is just one of the many contributions Van Ryswick has given to the school and community. She also has led community fundraisers and volunteered at a community hospice.
“She’s phenomenal,” Hofmeister said. “She’s a leader among teachers.”
