EDWARDSVILLE – Emily Ottwein didn’t always plan to be a teacher, but she’s so glad life worked out the way it did.
Ottwein is a choir teacher at Edwardsville High School in the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7. This Teacher Appreciation Week, she is reflecting on the journey that led to this role and the reasons why she loves it.
“I love the choral art form and most of my best memories and experiences from my youth are from choir and drama club. I want to be a part of creating similar experiences for my students,” Ottwein said. “I want them to understand that whatever they bring to choir is enough — they are enough. We all bring what we have and we come together for the common purpose of creating art. It is so beautiful to watch them work and learn and then create something wonderful together.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree and MBA, Ottwein worked as a pharmaceutical sales rep for almost 20 years before she realized she “would not be fulfilled” unless she could end her career teaching music.
At age 41, she went back to college, earned a bachelor’s degree in music education, and then pursued her master’s degree. It was a lot of work, but Ottwein “loved every minute being immersed in music education.”
Her passion for music and teaching shines through, and her students appreciate her support during their time in high school. Because she works with students for four years, she fosters close relationships with each one. She experiences “grief” when it’s time to say goodbye to the graduates, but she’s always refreshed and ready to “invest” in the freshmen by the time the next school year starts.
As an EHS alum, Ottwein is grateful for the district and her own choir teacher, Gerald Bradley, and his wife Pat. She believes her decision to pursue education later in her career gives her an even deeper appreciation for the work.
Outside of the classroom, Ottwein enjoys reading, walking with her dog, baking and gardening. But teaching and music are her true passions, and she is thankful that she can impart these loves onto her students.
“I love being a part of [the students’] life’s journey, and I love it that they are part of mine,” she said. “I am passing to them all these things that I learned from special, wonderful, important people in my life. I feel I am to pass on to the next generation the things impressed upon me by those that shaped me both professionally and personally. It is a way of honoring those that have gone before.”
Thank you to Emily Ottwein for your work as a teacher!
