Is there such a thing as fate? Predestination? What about free will? Are we all preordained to follow some path that was never up to us to decide, or is the direction of that path based on nothing more than the whim of man? Is it possible for your experiences and desires to shape what decisions you make, or is your whole life already written out in the stars?
No matter the answer, Parkway Central’s Teacher of the Year John Viser, has one of the twistiest paths within the Central community. One would expect the recipient of such a title to have been “called” to the profession of teaching, however, Viser is perfect evidence to the contrary. Teaching was never on his radar till well after starting college.
Viser received his undergraduate degree of art history and jazz performance from Knox College in Illinois; during that time, music was his source of income, despite its failure to align with his original plan to work as an art historian.
“I was working as a drummer. That was my job,” Viser said. “I was making more money as a drummer than I was as an art historian.”
But after September 11, 2001, something shifted. Viser had been playing a show at Satchmo’s Bar and Grill, in Chesterfield, when this realization overcame him, one that could not be ignored.
“I was looking around, realizing that I didn’t contribute really anything to the world at large, other than music for a handful of people,” Viser said. “And it just didn’t sit well with me.”
And so, he did what anyone else would have done–he turned toward someone for advice. In this case, that someone was Larry, a regular patron of Satchmo’s.
“I said, ‘What should I do, Larry?’ He goes, ‘I think you’d be a good teacher.’”
From there, the rest is history, as Viser answered an advertisement in the newspaper asking for a teacher’s assistant in the special school district only a week later. Despite never having another interaction with this mysterious man again, he remains famous within the context of Viser’s life.
Though the advertisement introduced him to special education formally, his inclination towards this field actually ran much deeper than Viser realized at the time. Prior to both careers as a drummer and a teacher, Viser worked at a Boy Scout camp, where one week each summer was reserved for scouts with profound disabilities.
“I just enjoyed that week more than any other week at camp because I got to work with kids that were different than the regular kid,” Viser said. “I found that just having to change up my teaching, or my tactics, to work with kids that had different limitations really made my brain grow in ways that I liked.”
His dedication to his teaching, but more so to his students, is evident as special education has been his career for 23 years now. Parkway Central has been lucky enough to benefit from his determined care for the past 11 years, with his students proving just how much of an effect he has.
Despite only knowing Viser since the start of this school year, junior Caleb Rife already sees the benefit of having him in his life.
“He’s just been great,” Rife said. “He’s helped me emotionally with depression.”
It’s amazing to see how once the mental side of things is cared for, it is then felt in all other areas of life–something Rife is actively experiencing.
“I just feel less stressed and I’m able to focus more on academics than before because his class is a place where I can be myself,” Rife said.
Creating that safe place Rife spoke of is simply all that Viser could have hoped for since his own high school experience was anything but easy.
“High school was really difficult for me, just on the social-emotional front,” Viser said. “But there were a couple of adults who took it upon themselves to just look after me; to be that person for someone else is why I do this.”
Beyond emotional and academic support, Rife sees Viser as someone who truly understands him and students in general.
“He’s very tolerant and he definitely knows what he’s doing,” Rife said. “He’s got a lot of experience and he knows how to handle everything.”
Rife describes Viser’s class as therapy, but in school, which falls perfectly in line with what one of Viser’s main goals is for his students.
“High school is hard, and being a teenager is terrible, so if they can get any help, that’s a great thing,” Viser said.
High school doesn’t always have to be awful, though. Viser describes one of the greatest joys he gets to observe as a witness to hundreds of kids’ formative years of self-discovery.
“My favorite part about teaching is when a kid realizes that they have the ability to make their own choices,” Viser said.
“They don’t have to do what they feel the world is forcing them to because they are transitioning from being a passive member of life to an active member.”
Once this move from passenger to driver is achieved, more development quickly follows in its way because students start to perceive their own identity.
“Then, they start to see their worth; they start to see themselves the way we, as teachers, see them,” Viser said. “When you see a person become a person, become themselves really, that is huge.”
That transformation is something colleagues witness repeatedly. Choir teacher Ben Silvermintz, who has worked alongside Viser for years, nominated him for Teacher of the Year because that phenomenon, of seeing a student grow into themselves, is something he saw firsthand.
“Many years ago, I had a student come in as a freshman who needed some help with emotional regulation,” Silvermintz said. “And, over the course of four years, I watched Mr. Viser provide a safe space, provide coping strategies, and then help that student learn to manage themselves in a way that allowed them to succeed.”
Silvermintz goes on to say how Viser’s work is so integral because it positively impacts all those involved around him.
“I think that Mr. Viser works with students who need him and he is able to provide terrific support to those students,” Silvermintz said. “This then helps the teachers.”
On top of providing teachers with an alleviation in their workload, he also provides valuable lessons to staff members, as well. Science teacher Kristin Ream gets more specific about his impact within the teachers of Central.
“For the staff, he serves as a dedicated mentor,” Ream said. “He inspires all of us to be more thoughtful, effective educators for our most vulnerable students.”
Additionally, Viser succeeds in having a long-term impact on his students, giving them lessons they will carry long after high school.
“He doesn’t just teach; he provides deeply individualized support, builds student self-efficacy, and ensures that at-risk students are fully prepared for life after they leave high school,” Ream said.
That is not to discount the work Viser does in the heat of the moment, during high school, something social studies teacher Ryan Banta was sure to emphasize as he described Viser’s work as essential.
“The work Viser does is some of the most heroic work in the building,” Banta said. “He is not only changing lives but saving lives.”
Banta goes on to highlight Viser’s ability to manage conflict and emotion, a vital skill when working with people of all different backgrounds and experiences.
“He can disarm the most intense and difficult situations,” Banta said. “He is able to create peace within kids and adults who may no
t see eye to eye. He is truly a master of conflict-resolution.”
Though, it is important to remember that being a teacher is not all Viser is. Outside of the walls of Parkway Central High, Vise
r is many things.
“I’m a father. I have a wonderful six-year-old named Sadie, and she’s amazing,” Viser said. “I’m still a jazz drummer, I work around town playing a couple groups. And I am also a woodworker–I build furniture in my free time.”
Despite the emotional weight of his job, Viser has learned how to protect his family life.
“Along the journey as a teacher, you’ve got to learn how to find time for yourself,” Viser said. “Sometimes you have to just leave your laptop at school; you have to unplug and be present at home.”
Viser knows that school does not need him to read his email at night, so when he’s at home he allows himself to be the center of the universe for his child because that’s what she needs.
“I’ve learned that I need to be present at home, and I know that I want to be present at home,” Viser said.
At the end of the day, who knows if things are fated or not? Because, no matter what, Viser has no regrets when it comes to his work.
“The kids I work with are fantastic, getting to watch them grow and learn, and make their choices–I am so privileged to be part of that journey for these kids,” Viser said. “That’s why I do it.”
