“I started teaching in a galaxy far, far away during a time long forgotten - 1991.”
The most enigmatic man in Vernon County, Michael Scheder defies the conventional interview or standard explanation.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Michael grew into a Renaissance man, unafraid of the unfamiliar and driven by exploration of the world. After graduating high school, he worked across a variety of different fields, discovered and exhausted many interests, and resided all over the country while attending college.
Notable cities of residence have included Brooklyn, El Paso, Albuquerque, and Anchorage, though his migration pattern would traverse the United States many times over.
“My first job was given to me in a call from El Paso, Texas. They wanted a high school social studies teacher to replace one who had just quit. I threw all my essentials into my Ford Escort and drove down. Got a motel room and reported to Irvin High, ‘Home of the Rockets’.The Principal greeted me in front of the trophy case and proceeded to tell me about the glory of high school football in Texas, and my role as a ‘floater’ teacher. I would have no classroom to occupy, so I would pack all my papers into my grandfather's old leather satchel and tote it from class to class. At the end of the year I was told I would be 'surplussed.' And this was my introduction to education."
Mr. Scheder arrived in our district in 2019, initially hired as a substitute teacher. He brought his trademark hardiness to the position, taking jobs that others might decline and successfully managing hectic classrooms. By the time Mr. Scheder appeared at Hillsboro Schools, he had taught in four districts across the United States.
Two years later, his reputation as a substitute teacher irreproachable, Mr. Scheder was hired by the district full-time as a middle school interventionist. The position played to Mike’s strength as an educator. “I work in small groups with kids who perform below expectations on the STAR test. During our time of intensive intervention, it is hoped that their test scores will improve and students will improve.”
Michael hadn’t set out to be a teacher. “I wanted to be a magician, actually. But soon realized I couldn’t perform any magic because I was a mere mortal. My wife required I ‘do something of value’ so I ended up working with kids," However, Mr. Scheder has come much closer to achieving magic than he may know. Beyond his reputation as a respected teacher, Michael has cultivated a near-legendary status among students, unflappable and engaging, equally at home in the riotous lunchroom and the quiet of tutoring, appearing in total command of the distinctive middle-school universe.