5 Questions with Ms. Heuer

Tracey Heuer, fifth grade teacher and elementary teaching assistant principal

School: Canyon Vista Elementary School

Years at current school/district: Heuer has been a teacher at Canyon Vista for three years and a teacher within the Capistrano Unified School District for 13 years.

Favorite memory from teaching career:
Heuer said she has too many great memories to pick just one, but she always thinks about the notes and letters she receives from her students every year. Students thank Heuer for her guidance and lessons through little notes. Heuer said she keeps each one.

"I have a box full of them," she said. "At the beginning of the school year I go through and read them for motivation to do this all over again."

Teaching hardships:
Sometimes Heuer has students in her class that don't receive the support and care they should be receiving at home—due to poverty or parents who are often away from home. Heuer said this is the hardest part of the job for her. There have been times in her career where the lesson plan for the day is only one of her concerns. She has provided snacks when a child is hungry and clothes when they are in need.

"I am both a parent and a teacher in here sometimes," she said.

What makes Ms. Heuer's class unique?
Through positive encouragement and an open dialogue, Heuer helps her students get involved in the learning process.

"I don't talk at the kids," she said. "No one wants to just sit in a chair and be talked to."

What was Ms. Heuer's favorite subject when she was in school?
History.

"I was always interested to see what happened in the past that we can learn from today," she said.

What are Ms. Heuer's hobbies?
Heuer is an avid bicyclist who rides more than 100 miles every week. She said some days she sticks to flat paths, some days she challenges herself with hills.

Yoga is also a passion. She teaches yoga to children and often incorporates yoga practices into her class. She teaches the students yoga during P.E. and before tests she runs student's through a few breathing exercises.

"The kids love it," she said.