The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Science of teaching
Inman still enjoys educating Chelsea's children
By Terry Jacoby, The Chelsea Standard
PUBLISHED: May 10, 2007
Sandy Inman has been standing in front of the chalkboard at Chelsea High School for 30 years. And while she has seen plenty of changes over the years, her love for what she does is as strong today as it was when she first walked into the classroom in 1977.
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"I feel so lucky to be in a job that I enjoy even more today than when I started," Inman said. "The Chelsea community offers a great place to teach and the parents and administration offer so much support."
Inman, a native of Minden City in the thumb area, attended Harbor Beach High School but knew even before then that she wanted to be a teacher.
"I knew very early on," said Inman, who now calls Chelsea home. "When I was young we used to play school a lot and enjoyed that. My grandfather was a teacher as were several of my aunts."
Inman said her grandfather was a positive influence in her life.
"His whole persona and attitude about life was always very positive and I always admired him for that," she said. "He used to teach in a one-room school house. In fact, my mother was one of his students."
The teaching bug didn't end with Sandy either. Her daughter Sarah is a high school math teacher in Ohio and her daughter Chris is a special education teacher in Illinois.
While her grandfather ignited the teaching fire, her father is responsible for the science side of the equation.
"My dad would always challenge us kids to answer questions and have us try to figure out how things worked, especially science," she said. "We lived on a farm and we would have storms that would knock out the TV antenna in the spring. He wouldn't put it back up because we had more important things to do in the summer. But he would ask us how the storms would knock the antenna off the roof or how the antenna worked.
"He enjoyed seeing us figuring things out."
When Inman first started looking into college she began to question her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher.
"At the time I started going to college it was a tough market for teachers," she said. "But I decided if this was really something I wanted to do then I would find a job."
After graduating from the University of Michigan with degrees in zoology, anthropology and science education, Inman found a job - in Chelsea teaching physical science, general biology and biology 1. That was 1977 and she's been here ever since.
Inman, who currently teaches conceptual physics and biology II, believes students are much different today than they were back in 1977.
"Students today are much more serious about studying and they are more concerned about their future and being prepared for college than they ever used to be," she said. "At the same time more students get lost along the way and I think it has to do with them not getting support outside of school.
"It sounds like a contradiction but both are true today. There are some kids who just want to work and pay for that car they feel they have to have. There priorities aren't where they always should be. But then there are the students who make getting good grades a priority."
Inman has certainly earned the respect of not only her students, but fellow teachers and administrators as well.
"Sandy Inman is a highly respected science teacher at Chelsea High School," said Julie A. Deppner, assistant principal at Chelsea High School. "As the science department chairperson, she provides leadership to many by modeling high expectations for students.
"One of her greatest teaching qualities is her ability to motivate students and find ways to reach many different types of learners. Her positive attitude, willingness to work with students beyond the classroom and dedication to her profession are some of the skills that make Sandy an outstanding teacher."
Inman says she has had a lot of special kids come through her classroom.
"I couldn't pick out just one or two or even a handful of special kids," she said. "I've been fortunate to have a lot of special kids."
And those kids were fortunate to have a special teacher.
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