For middle level teacher education alumni Ryan and Kristin Cantrell, teaching is a family business. Ryan ’04 is the grandson of the late honored alumna Jo Ann Hartman, and his parents were both teachers in McLean County Unit District No. 5. Kristin’s mom was also an elementary school teacher in the Chicago suburbs.
Growing up in Downers Grove, Kristin ’03 recalls how visiting her mom’s classroom affirmed her future plans: “I never doubted what I wanted to be. I came to ISU because I wanted to be a teacher.”
When Kristin left Illinois State, she thought she would find her home in a kindergarten classroom, but she pursued additional endorsements in middle level language arts and social studies to keep her options open: “Thank goodness I did because my first job was a long-term sub for a maternity leave sixth grade position in Downers Grove, which got my foot in the door. And the following year, I was hired for fifth grade.”
In the meantime, Ryan was teaching Science then Social Studies at Clarendon Hills Middle School, and Kristin eventually got the opportunity to join Ryan as a seventh grade English Language Arts teacher. “We are surrounded here by Redbirds,” Ryan said, noting that there are at least eight other alumni in their building and emphasizing that Illinois State students are sought after by districts because they are so well prepared.
However, it took Ryan a while longer than Kristin to discover his own passion for education. As a child, he spent many Sunday afternoons at Chiddix Junior High School; his dad would work in his classroom while he and his sister played in the gym, always returning home in time for the Bears game.
He came to Illinois State to play baseball and study as a biology major, then switched to elementary education. After accompanying his dad on a field trip to Six Flags and realizing how well the age range suited his personality, he moved to middle level education. He briefly tackled a business major before returning to education and toggling between science and social studies concentrations. He jokes, “I loved college so much that I stayed for six years.”
In the middle of this journey, he and Kristin met. When asked to share their story, they recounted sitting across from each other in a Statistics class in Stevenson Hall. “We had assigned seats, and it was in a computer lab. So, we got to know this much of each other,” Kristin giggles, gesturing from the nose up.
Ryan jumped in: “I took most of the semester to get up the nerve to wait for her after class and introduce myself. The first day I was going to do it, I ran into one of the assistant athletic directors, and Kris knew I was waiting for her but didn’t wait! She just kept walking and kind of smiled. I kept trying to get away but couldn’t.” The following class period, he tried again, and they ended up walking to her apartment together, chatting the entire way. Ryan’s car was still on the complete opposite side of campus, but he affirmed, “It was worth it.”
Kristin graduated in December 2003, Ryan graduated in May 2004, and they got married in the summer of 2005. They have twin boys who will be graduating high school and coming to the Bloomington-Normal area next year to attend Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan University.
With around 20 years of teaching experience each, Kristin and Ryan can look back at their time at Illinois State and recognize the valuable lessons learned.
Kristin said: “It was very well rounded, not only in the classes that I would eventually teach but even in the music classes, art classes, and PE classes. It gave me a sense of a student’s full day.” She also appreciated clinical experiences that helped her cultivate a sense of community, including connecting with a group of peers on weekly drives to Decatur and collaborating with master’s students in the program, which “made it feel more real.”
Their advice to current middle level teacher candidates is, “Don’t be afraid. There are days that aren’t great,” Ryan began, then Kristin continued, “But you reflect, and you learn from it.” She also wants future teachers to think about how to be the person they needed when they were that age.
Ryan offered one more suggestion: “Just go to class.” After all, if he hadn’t, then he may have never met Kristin. Together, they inspire and empower the next generation of young learners.
