Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/556394
later shyly asked if he could r e a d a l o u d b e c a u s e h e finally "got it." He'll never forget Angie, a g i r l w h o l ove d s c i e n c e and hated that her parents co n s t a n t ly f o u g h t . H e i n s t a u g h t h e r a b o u t f a m o u s female scientists, offering encouragement and extra resources. When her grades we n t u p , A n g i e ' s m o t h e r t h a n ke d H e i n s f o r b e i n g "a role model" and showing her daughter that men could be kind. And there's La Cretia, a motivated stu- dent despite challenging circumstances. Even after a social worker removed her from the classroom to take her into foster care, she insisted on turning in her assignments. Heins hasn't seen these students for a while, but they are never f ar from his thoughts. They are the reason why he's o n t h e ro a d m o s t d ays , a dvo c a t i n g f o r public schools. "Everything I do is about them — and students like them," says the new CTA president. "It's what makes me tick. It's what drives me." The early years Born in Holland, Heins moved to Califor- nia at age 3 and still speaks fluent Dutch. His father was a Presbyterian minister; his mother, a nurse. He graduated from Schurr High School in Montebello. "I was the biggest nerd, a complete dork," laughs Heins. "My favorite thing was read- ing the dictionary and pouring over the encyclopedia. I could hardly wait for the annual almanac to arrive. I would rip open the package and just start reading." While attending Orange Coast College, he studied music with Professor Richard Raub, who personified all the qualities of a great teacher. "Mr. Raub conducted the choir," recalls Heins. "He showed such a sense of com- mitment and determination and set such high standards for his students. He helped me to get through some tough times. He cared about his students. He was the kind of teacher I wanted to be." But at that time, teaching wasn't his goal. Schools, he decided, had way too much bureaucracy. After earning a bachelor's degree in music from Chapman College in Orange County, he worked as a sales rep for a dress manu- facturer, teaching piano lessons on the side. Two of his piano students were the children of Janet Green, a middle school English teacher in Tustin. "She sat me down and told me how good I was with children. She said, 'You know you hate your job. You should be a teacher.' She convinced me to apply to the creden- tial program at UC Irvine. It was the best decision I ever made. I never looked back. I can't imagine what my life might be like if she hadn't mentored me." H e i n s ' f i r s t j o b w a s t e a c h i n g m u s i c when other teachers had prep time. He went from classroom to classroom, rolling a piano along. "There were no electronic keyboards in 1990," says Heins. "I pushed that piano up and down the hallway, with books on top of it." Things went pretty well for the new teacher, until he visited older students. "Remember, I am a dork who likes classi- cal music," he explains. "So I thought I'd play something hip for them. I played Diana Ross. Students just crucified me. One said, 'Who's that old lady? We want hip hop!' I didn't know hip hop from the man on the moon. I totally lost control of the class." "EVERYTHING I DO IS ABOUT MY STUDENTS. IT'S WHAT MAKES ME TICK. IT'S WHAT DRIVES ME." Heins in his office at CTA headquarters in Burlingame. 12 cta.org Feature