Finding the Right Spark to Ignite a Love of Literature
How Lee’s Summit North High School teacher Sara Witteman gets students engaged and excited about their learning
Eleanor Sullivan consistently takes the most difficult classes she can.
The junior at Lee’s Summit North High School is passionate about science and robotics, and even though her dad is an English professor, she always felt that English and literature classes were mostly busy work that didn’t really matter.
That all changed during the English Language Arts class she took her sophomore year with teacher Sara Witteman.
“I learned more about English in that one year than I have every other year combined,” said Sullivan. “She dove so much deeper into the topics than any other teacher and used examples that students would understand in a way that made it really easy to apply to everyday life. I’ve had a lot of good teachers, but Ms. Witteman is on her own special level.”
Students in Witteman’s class participate in spirited discussions about important topics, prompted by texts from many years ago. Whether it’s discussing power dynamics with Lord of the Flies, making relevant connections from Shakespeare’s time, or learning lessons from Kafka’s Metamorphosis, students are able to truly connect with what they are reading and apply it to their lives. Witteman makes the Metamorphosis conversation even more engaging by wearing a cockroach costume.
In Sullivan, Witteman saw a student who loved science. The teacher knew a connection to literature and writing would serve her student well. A quote from Margaret Atwood about loving science but being kidnapped by literature resonated as the perfect example.
“I am very science-minded, but I enjoy reading fiction as an escape, and the books in her class were all so good,” said Sullivan. “I think about that quote often because she peered into my soul and really understands me. I love science and robotics but do feel kidnapped by literature, thanks to her. I used to dread it and now I fell in love with it again.”
Witteman makes all her edits to student writing by hand and expects her students to make all of the changes. She often includes life advice, known by students as “Witt-isms,” in the form of personal notes and suggestions that not only make students stronger writers, but more confident people.
“Her editing style is very to-the-point and blunt, because she hones in on what could be improved and really drills into it so you correct it,” said Sullivan. “I am a far stronger writer than I was before and really know how to get my point across in a more effective way.”
Helping students like Sullivan reach their full potential is what Witteman aims for.
“My mantra is really ‘don’t make the same mistake twice’ and I try to teach that to my students,” added Witteman. “I love teaching, and I really don’t want to do this if I don’t feel that I can give 100% to every student. I have invested too much to be remembered as someone who didn’t give their all.”
Students at North absolutely recognize her investment. She was the 2019 Excellence in Teaching Winner, a 2022 Teacher of Distinction, and the chosen teacher for a graduation speech in 2017 and 2022. Sullivan even nominated her for recognition on Teacher Appreciation Day at the Missouri Scholars Academy.
For her, the real recognition comes from knowing she is making a difference in the lives of her students.
“I want people to know that public education is one of the most important things that we spend our tax dollars on,” said Witteman. “Ultimately our job is to create viable citizens, and whether that’s my job in teaching them how to write and communicate or a math teacher to teach how to do their finances, there is no greater goal than for us to produce prepared citizens of the world.”
Sullivan is exploring what life after high school could look like, and thanks to her newfound interest in English, she is even considering possibilities in a writing-based path. She is taking another class with Witteman during her junior year and is consistently going to her for advice on courses to take and possible career options.
I am figuring out what my passion is, because I am interested in so many different things,” said Sullivan. “If I were to forget everything I learned in Witteman’s class, the one quote that will stay with me is, ‘major in what you love and everything else will fall into place.’ I really trust her so much, because it’s clear that she wants what is best for all of us.