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ByMichael Chamness
IASADirector of Communications
David Schuler can’t remember exactly when he
wanted to become an educator. Or, more accurately,
he can’t recall ever wanting tobe anything else.
“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. My
mother was a teacher and I lovedwhat she did. I can
remember making check boxes for her when she
brought papers home to grade,” said Schuler,
superintendent of schools at High School District 214
in Arlington Heights, who recently was voted
President-Elect of the American Association of
School Administrators (AASA). When Schuler
becomes AASA President in 2015 he will become
only the 13
th
Illinois superintendent to head up that
national association in thepast 128 years.
ThewaySchuler’smother went about hermission
still guides his educationphilosophy to this day.
“She always made education relevant for her
students. If she was teaching about the war, she
would invite veterans and Holocaust survivors to
share their stories. If it was home economics shewas
teaching, shewould actually teach kids how to cook,”
Schuler recalled. “That has to be our focus today.
How do we ensure education is relevant in our ever-
evolving global environment? That’s a question we
must be constantly asking ourselves. In today’s
world, there’s no need to teach what kids can
Google.”
Schuler said two other people stand out asmajor
influences in his development as an educator. One
was his student teacher mentor Tony Bralick, and the
other is Dr. Sarah Jerome, superintendent of the
neighboring Arlington Heights District 25 and the last
Illinois superintendent to be President of AASA, a
post sheheld during the2007-08 school year.
“Tony helped teach me the art of teaching and
engaging students to get to a deeper level,” recalled
Schuler of his six years teaching alongside Bralick in
Waukesha, Wisconsin. “He would push people to
ensure that students reached their true innate
potential, not just what they thought their potential
might be. His attitude was that students can always
domore if we expect more of them.”
In October of 1997, Bralick, a social studies
teacher and cross country coach at WaukeshaWest
High School, died of a heart attack at a cross country
meet. He was only 46. Schuler’s bond with Bralick
was so strong that Schuler took time off from his
brand new administrative post in another district and
returned to Waukesha to teach Bralick’s social
studies classes and help students through the
(Continuedonpage10)
NewAASAPresident-Elect Dr. Schuler
ready to championpublic education
ArlingtonHeights superintendent focuses onmaking schools relevant for students
