When high school teacher Chris Glinski found out he’d won $50,000, his first thought was for his students.
His second? That he should probably spit his gum out before he’s on camera.
“[I’m] a little shocked,” Glinski said. “Not overwhelmed, but, like, I’m the guy who just wants to stand in the back and make everything good for the kids.”
Glinski, a West De Pere High School technical education teacher in a “casual Friday” pink flamingo Hawaiian shirt, was surprised Oct. 10 with the news that he’d won the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, an award for exceptional trades educators. With that comes a cash prize: $35,000 for the school district, and $15,000 for Glinski and his family.
“He’s a deeply caring person about education,” West De Pere High School principal Russ Gerke said. “[He] cares deeply about his own performance and cares deeply about exposing students to real-world action.”
‘My goal is to help you reach yours’
Glinski, who leads the school’s career and technical education department, has taught tech ed classes at the high school for over two decades. In that time, the school district estimates demand for its technical education classes has grown by 40%, prompting the high school to expand its tech ed spaces.
Glinski brings in trades professionals to co-teach his classes, allowing students to get real-world experience in skills like masonry, excavation and steel work. Students can also earn University of Wisconsin-Green Bay college credit in his classes, which Gerke said helps kids know their options.
“He’s always forward-thinking,” Gerke said. “He’s always — I don’t want to say this negatively because it’s not negative — he’s always pushing my buttons to say, ‘How about this? How can we do this for kids? How can we get kids more experiences? What can we create for them?’”
There are so many opportunities for students outside of a traditional four-year college degree, Glinski said. If students don’t know what they’d want to go to college for, having a tech ed class helps them explore different careers in a hands-on way.
“My goal is to help you reach your (goal), and that’s kind of been in my brain the whole time,” Glinski said. “I don’t have these big aspirations of doing phenomenal things, or whatever. If you have a good, successful future, I did my job.”
‘One of those moments you just do not forget’
Glinski was one of 25 educators to win the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize this year. Harbor Freight district manager Mark Clark presented Glinski with an oversized check, and past winners came up to congratulate him and welcome him to the winners’ network.
“Every one of us remembers the day that we received that award,” retired Kaukauna High School teacher Dan Van Boxtel said. “It’s one of those moments you just do not forget.”
Students attended, too, but some stuck to their work. When a couple of his fellow students grabbed senior Easton Labelle to talk to the media, he was hard at work in the lab, threading a step shaft. He’s planning on going into welding after he graduates, and he said Glinski helps make sure the class goes smoothly and everyone learns what they need.
“He treats everybody like friends, but he also knows when to give guidance,” Labelle said.
What comes next at West De Pere High
The Glinski family was at West De Pere High as part of the surprise. While Chris Glinski said he didn’t know what he’d do with his portion of the prize money, his son is graduating next year, and they could use that money to celebrate with a vacation.
Tom Glinski, Chris’s father, was also a tech ed teacher, he said. He recalled when Chris first got his job at West De Pere: Tom was working in Colorado the day Chris was going in for his interview, and the supervisor was from the West De Pere School District. When Tom mentioned the connection, the supervisor called the principal at West De Pere High.
“He said, ‘hey, you’ve got a kid coming in for an interview,’” Tom Glinski said. “‘Give him a good look, because if he’s anything like his old man, he’ll be a good kid.’”
For Chris Glinski, the reward is validation for his work at West De Pere High.
“It’s a justification that we’re doing good things around here,” he said. “And that our kids are having success based off of a program that we cultivated.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: West De Pere High School teacher Chris Glinski surprised with $50k technical education award
Reporting by Nadia Scharf, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
