ALUMNI Q&A - Brian Horner M '01

Chosen as a finalist for the 2023 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Brian Horner M’ 01 creates classroom communities of lifelong learners through passion and inspiration.

Horner teaches fourth and fifth grade students in Naperville Community Unit School District 203’s Project Idea Plus gifted program at Meadow Glens Elementary School. He coordinates the Kid Innovation College program, as well as works in partnership with the Institute for the Habits of Mind. He came to North Central early in his career to pursue a master’s degree and developed skills that have broadened and enriched his teaching ever since.

Q: What did you learn at North Central that influences your teaching?

A: I found that many of the courses I took at North Central offered valuable, practical and applicable connections with what I was doing as an educator. I think I was in my second year of teaching when taking part in the program, so I was full of new information and hungry to put any new ideas into practice.

Q: How do you create an environment for students to be successful?

A: I like viewing the classroom as a “home away from home” for students. They need to feel safe in this environment and protected. That is the first step. Without the fear of being slandered or ridiculed, students can be free to take responsible risks through questioning, sharing, creating, and all sorts of innovation. Once this is established, student empowerment is needed. A healthy classroom will have plenty of opportunities for students to have a say in their own class culture. We have created a very multifaceted system built on trust ... responsibilities and ideas for constant improvement and evolution. It’s not just me on a stage — how bland and pale would that be? Rather, it is all of US TOGETHER as we transform basic knowledge into wisdom.

Q: What is the most important thing you hope students gain from being in your class?

A: I always hope that students take strong thinking skills with them. I hope that what they learn transcends the walls of the classroom and gets propelled with them into their respective futures. And I hope they laugh a lot along the way.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about being a teacher?

A: The best part about the job is that every single day is different. I am never bored. Everything always seems so new to me. My students will never cease to amaze me. I am always learning from them. And I am always learning about life through them. And the moment I ever feel a malaise coming on, I just create something brand new. The classroom seems like a cognitive playground to me, and we explore all its intriguing nuances on a daily basis.

Q: What advice would you offer to future educators?

A: It is an honor and a privilege to teach the youth. What a responsibility we have to provide example, guidance, care and direction within the classroom. Never forget that. Passion is key. Never lose it. Keep creating. Keep learning. Keep moving.

There is always something else to see over the edge of the horizon. Your students will meet you there, and if you need me … so will I.

Questions and responses were edited for clarity and space.