By: Maya Swanson

For those of you who don’t know Mr. Heffern, you’re missing out on his great stories and dad jokes. He is one of our History teachers and our psychology teacher here at Eisenhower. He is also the advisor of hockey and history club during advisory. The Squire wanted everyone to get to know Mr. Heffern a bit more, so for this issue of The Squire we interviewed him for the Teacher Spotlight.

The Squire: What is your biggest accomplishment as a teacher?

Mr. Heffern: Educating Eisenhower students to become productive members of society as they go on to exercise their civic duty is rewarding.

TS: What are some holiday traditions you do every year? (Such as attending the Nutcracker every year, baking cookies, etc.)

Mr. H: We always have a real Christmas tree – There is nothing better at Christmas than picking up pine needles and yelling at my kids to water the tree. Ah, let’s not talk about the Nutcracker.

TS: Why did you choose your job here at Eisenhower?

Mr. H: Actually I did a portion of my student teaching at Eisenhower, and then returned after a brief stint at Sheffield. The school has a great group of teachers, students, and parents…

TS: What do you enjoy most about working with students every day?

Mr. H: They always keep me on my toes and hopefully I am making a difference in their lives. Okay, a positive difference.

TS: With winter approaching, that means snow days. What do you enjoy most about these days off?

Mr. H: Snow days make me sad knowing we “lost” a day in the spring when I would rather have them off from school. Now, with a two-hour delay that is a different story.

TS: What are some things students don’t know about you?

Mr. H: Deep down, I hate kids. Sorry, I thought this was a two truths and one lie. Alright, here is one, I was a pole vaulter in high school; don’t judge, I was a much “lighter” Mr. Heffern back then.

TS: The holiday season is coming up fast. How do you deal with the chaos of the kids right before Christmas break?

Mr. H: Student chaos is nothing compared to the chaos of my next door neighbors, Mr. Logue and Mr. Penley, right before Christmas break.

That wraps up our interview with Mr. Heffern. He is a great teacher and sure knows how to crack a joke. If you would like to get to know him better, make sure to sign up for his advisory clubs next semester. The Squire would like to give a huge thanks to him for answering these questions and make sure to check out our next issue of The Squire to see which teacher we’ll profile next.