Tuesday, May 6, 2025
When Max Smith made it to the Ivy League, the Reagan High School graduate didn’t forget where he came from. Weeks after beginning freshman year at college, Smith nominated a favorite MPS teacher for a 2024 Yale Educator Award.
The Yale Educator Recognition Program recognizes outstanding educators who support and inspire their students to perform at high levels and to achieve excellence. Reagan social studies teacher Kurt Dillman is one of them. The award comes with a letter and desk set he keeps in his home office, a reminder that he’s one of 75 educators from 24 countries to receive the honor in 2024.
It’s proof Dillman never forgot where he comes from, either. Twenty-five years after his high school graduation, the Reagan educator made his college dreams come true just a few miles from his alma mater, Casimir Pulaski High School.
Here’s how he did it.
Tell us about attending college in your forties. First, a bachelor’s program at UWM and then a master’s program at Alverno College.
I tried going to college right after high school. I dropped out after a year and a half, at 19. College went on the backburner. I have three kids, five grandchildren. Then I retired from the post office and said, ‘It’s time for me to achieve my goals. Do something for myself.’
I was very fortunate to land at Reagan as a student teacher in special education and social studies. I learned from great teachers who were very giving with their expertise. It was beneficial to see a range of teaching styles and find what worked for me.
In his nomination letter, Max Smith wrote: “Mr. Dillman sees things in his students that they don’t see. It doesn’t matter if you’re on valedictorian track or if you’re just keeping your head above water—you’re more than a student to him. You’re a person.” How do you focus on each student as an individual?
I homeschooled my youngest through high school. One benefit of homeschooling is that you know your child and how they learn, their likes, dislikes, and values. You incorporate that into your lessons.
When I became a professional teacher, I tried to find one extracurricular activity each student is involved in—it gives me something to talk to them about and opened my eyes. You might recognize one student as quiet but on the basketball court they are different: assertive, leaders. I try to create space in lessons and discussions for students to share other sides of themselves.
You teach Theory of Knowledge, or TOK, the capstone course for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. What is TOK?
The International Baccalaureate curriculum expects you to apply everything you learn to real-life situations. A few weeks ago, we were talking about music and how it takes you back to a specific place and time. What is it about music that inspires you or opens up your eyes to the world?
I wish you could hear the discussion we had! In music, is a note enjoyable by itself or is it the anticipation of the next note? We talked about how living in the moment helps you appreciate things, and how hope or anticipation makes life more enjoyable. Psychological studies show that hope is necessary to us as human beings.
What are your strategies for successful teaching, learning, and trust-building in the classroom?
Classes are most successful when I talk the least. I want my classroom to be a space where students feel comfortable engaging each other and learning from each other. TOK is a sacred space
for you to be yourself, express concepts that are new to you, and take risks intellectually. Nobody will contradict you or make fun of your ideas.
No hate speech, everyone has something important to share and should feel comfortable sharing it. Anybody can learn from anybody else; that’s one rule that kids really take on.
I try not to nitpick on rules too much. Students get to the point where they understand how discourse works; they practice active listening and understand how you can disagree with an idea but not disrespect the person sharing it.
Also, snacks and high expectations. High expectations, as I’m sure you know, correlate with academic success. TOK students are seniors with one foot in high school and the other foot out the door. They appreciate being treated as adults.
Now that you’ve settled into your second career, do you think you made the right choice?
I think it takes ten years to become a good teacher, and I’m just on year 13. It’s been everything I expected, and more. One graduate returned with a book she wrote as part of her master’s program at Emory University and said, ‘Turn to the last page.’ She acknowledged me because her master’s research on redlining and housing policies began in our TOK class.
Sometimes, I think I learn more from the students than they do from me. Being a lifelong learner is important in IB, and I try to role model this. We joke about my age, being 65 and still learning new things.
Reagan is a very diverse school, and I think being as old as I am adds another dimension to that diversity. My students appreciate it when I refer to them as my 'honorary grandkids.'
Being an older person who treats students like adults and understands the learning process—it’s enriching. The people I’ve met and knowledge I’ve acquired as an educator are more meaningful than I could have imagined.