EMU Today

YPSILANTI – Imagine you’ve just graduated from college and you’re starting your first full-time job as a teacher. You’re excited and ready to make a difference in the lives of your students. You have passions and ideas you want to bring to life. What might you be able to accomplish between now and when you retire? 

Gary Koppelman, a two-time alumnus from the Eastern Michigan University College of Education, carried those first-day aspirations with him all 46 years of his teaching career.

From 1973 to 2019, he brought his ideas to life and eventually retired with a legacy of inspiring young minds in the world of science and a special honor: induction into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

An early love of teaching, and a valuable lesson

Koppelman recognized his love for teaching starting in high school. As a boy living on a 40-acre farm from Ottawa Lake, Mich., he participated in many 4-H Club activities and often visited his mother’s third grade classroom. One of his teachers, also an EMU graduate, noticed his natural leadership ability and encouraged Koppelman to attend Eastern Michigan University’s College of Education.  

It wasn’t long into Koppelman’s elementary education courses when a professor taught him a valuable lesson that he would carry for the next 46 years. After he began to struggle in a reading class, the teacher recognized something. She coached Koppelman, indicating she suspected he had a stuttering issue from possible dyslexia and an auditory discrimination problem.

What stuck with Koppelman was that despite this challenge, his teacher didn’t doubt his ability. Instead, she told him, “You need to stop being afraid to make a mistake. You need to do it your way and you will find you will do it correctly.” 

Koppelman applied this philosophy as he began his career. He grew determined to help students rid themselves of the fear of making mistakes, and looked for ways to encourage different types of learning distinct to each student.

"Thanks to EMU for the professional beginning of releasing my teacher’s passion,” Koppelman says now. “My learning style became my teaching style.”

A special space to inspire learning

Koppelman started his teaching career in 1973, in the sixth grade at Deerfield Public School. Then, after receiving his masters in elementary education, he began at Blissfield Community Schools in 1976, teaching fifth grade. He also taught at New Life Christian School for several years before returning to Blissfield Community Schools in 1991, working there until his retirement in 2019.  

At Blissfield, Koppelman saw the potential for an enclosed courtyard to be transformed into a space that would inspire learning and discovery. That vision was carried out in 1999, when the project received the Blissfield Foundation for Education Excellence Grant of $125,000, thanks to support from community members, local organizations, and Koppelman’s own grant writing. 

Koppelman designed and supervised the Blissfield Environmental Life Lab (BELL) for the rest of his career while also teaching. The lab is a life science center that bridges the gap between physical and earth sciences. In the BELL, students have a hands-on, minds-on experience that stimulates learning and broadens their perspectives as they discover new ideas and embrace the variety of life.

Thanks in large part to the BELL and Koppelman’s teaching, many students of Blissfield elementary have gone on to pursue science related careers. Examples include a marine biologist, a leading animal geneticist, and a space engineer working on the Mars project.  Koppelman loves seeing how he can help students discover their scientific passions, even at a young age. 

Koppleman has been recognized for such commitment and excellence. Some of his awards include the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (2016), a Top 50 Global Teaching Prize Finalist (2015) and the Golden Apple Teacher Award from Channel 24 TV Toledo, OH (2004).

In 2014, he became the second teacher from Michigan to be inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, a recognition that enabled him to meet President Barack Obama. 

See the spark in their eyes

“I was stunned with such an honor, being Michigan’s second inductee, and being recognized for my passion to touch the students’ learning palette and see the spark in their eyes,” Koppelman says. “I am blown away as I look at the amazing teachers across our nation who are recognized for their outstanding work. When I look across the hall or throughout our school and recognize the highly qualified teachers I work with, doing amazing things with their students far beyond what I felt I was doing, it’s humbling.

“These teachers need to be recognized as well. It causes me to wonder what would happen if all teachers received the funds to see their teaching dreams come to pass.”

Koppelman continues to teach others while in retirement. Today, he spends time training the new BELL supervisor and speaking at teaching conventions.

His message now to teachers and students is powerful but simple, echoing his own career: “Do it your way, with the encouragement of others. And never, never give up!”  

About The College of Education at Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, The College of Education (COE) at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) continues to be one of the largest producers of educational personnel in the nation. The COE includes a comprehensive variety of programs at the bachelor, master and doctoral program level. The COE has been recognized for its strong success rate by U.S. News and World Report’s: America’s Best Colleges.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 16,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.