Joe Fatheree was originally only going to teach for a few years.

He wanted to save up money for tuition to attend law school.

That all changed during his first year teaching.

Fatheree saw himself in some of his students and he realized that he had a debt to repay to all his former teachers.

Lynn Stanley, a junior high teacher, in particular left an impression on Fatheree early on.

“I was immature,” said Fatheree, the 2006-07 Illinois Teacher of the Year. “I was a junior high kid, doing junior high things and she brought Shakespeare and all the Greek plays, and all this culture, to a group of kids that didn’t want any part of it.”

Fatheree, 42, was honored at Eastern as teacher of the year on Sept. 10 and his picture is on the Wall of Fame, which was dedicated that afternoon in Buzzard Hall. He is a technology instructor at Effingham High School, where he teaches a multimedia class and a web design class.

Fatheree said his seventh grade language arts teacher made him fall in love with the job.

“She’d take me aside and say, ‘Joe I am not going to let you fail. I refuse to let that happen,'” Fatheree said.

Fatheree said the teacher then passed the baton onto his cross-country coach, Dave Dulaney, basketball coach, Tom Welch, and American history teacher, James Barid, in high school. Fatheree said had it not been for these people realizing that the day didn’t stop at 3:30 p.m. and that you’re a teacher 24 hours a day, who knows where he would be today.

It is now Fatheree’s turn to pass the lessons he learned in school on to his students.

“They may or may not be teachers, but I tell them you’re a teacher in whatever you do,” Fatheree said. “You’re going to be a teacher in your job, whatever career path it is, and I just hope you make good decisions.”

Fatheree lets his students work on their own. His approach is personable.

As he walks around the film poster-lined room, he helps students who need the help with a “What’s going on, Chief?”

Tyler Gilbert, a senior at Effingham, was in Fatheree’s Web design class last year and is currently in his multimedia class. He said it is an honor to be the student of the teacher of the year.

“I’ve only had a few awesome teachers in my life and he’s one of them,” Gilbert said.

Cathy Funneman, a senior, is also in Fatheree’s multimedia class.

“He’s taught kids a lot of stuff that many high schools I don’t think teach,” she said.

Fatheree met Craig Lindvahl, a band instructor at Teutopolis High School in 2000 at a workshop. Fatheree said he pitched a story idea to Lindvahl and then they made a film together called “A Time for Honor.” They both received regional Emmys for best documentary for their film on the Vietnam War.

This project led to Lindvahl and Fatheree bringing their classes together. They now teach a combined multimedia class where students from Teutopolis and Effingham come together for a 2-hour time block.

Fatheree wrote the curriculum for the State Board of Higher Education so his multimedia students can get dual credit from Lake Land College.

Gilbert said that he usually starts class by making some kind of entrance. He will say something random or funny to get the students’ attention, which is important for a morning class, Gilbert said.

“I remember sitting in a math class, early morning; you’re tired, teachers pointing at the white boards going on and on. I’m asleep,” Gilbert said. “Here he keeps you awake, you’re focused, you’re doing work. And it’s fun.”

Funneman said in their multimedia class they begin with a class meeting, where everyone says how their project is progressing. From there, Fatheree helps students as needed.

Brad Gebben, an Effingham senior in Fatheree’s multimedia class, said Fatheree lets the students work on their own but he’s always watching over them.

“You want to impress him so you want to work hard,” Gebben said. “It’s like you’re not forced to work hard but you’re driven to work hard.”

Fatheree’s students have a film festival every year to show the films they produced in class. Fatheree said the event sometimes sells out 1,000 tickets in four hours.

He said the Emmys are co-sponsoring the festival and Apple computers is also considering a co-sponsorship.

“When I talk to new student-teachers, I ask them, ‘How many of you expect 1,000 people or 2,000 people to line up at the door to see your kids’ homework and pay $5 a head?’ I do and that’s the exciting thing about it,” he said.

In the last five years, Fatheree said he has written $820,000 worth of grant money for his class.

“My kids on any given night could check out $30-40,000 dollars worth of film equipment and take it home and there aren’t a lot of high school students that get that,” Fatheree said.

He adds that he is really big on helping kids tie the curriculum with the real world.

“I think there’s too many disconnects out there, and it’s the teacher’s role to help bridge that gap for our kids,” Fatheree said. “And so, ever since I’ve started teaching – this is my 19th year – I’ve tried to find ways for them to see why we do things.”

Fatheree teaches them why it is important to be able to communicate, and write, as well as why history and media are important.

“We help them understand that in the real world, C-work is not acceptable, that you have to strive for excellence,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that every day’s going to be great. It means that when you strive for excellence every day, that’s what people see out of you; is that you’re a person of integrity. You put your best foot forward every day.”

For Fatheree, his job as a teacher does not stop once a student graduates.

“I just know that I try to find programs that really challenge my students,” he said. “I try to put them in the world and I realize when they graduate, that’s not the end of my teaching; that some of the best teaching for me has happened when a kid’s turned 27 or 30 and they stop by and they still value my opinion and they have questions about things.”

Gebben already values his teacher’s opinions.

“His opinions are pretty much held above anything else or anyone else’s when it comes to anything I’m doing,” Gebben said.

He said his teacher is the coolest guy he has ever met.

“Pretty much, he’s the father I always wanted,” Gebben said.

Joe Fatheree, 2006-07 Illinois Teacher of the Year helps sophomore Dylan Huey at Effingham High School during their Friday web design class.

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