npr:

It’s a little before 8 a.m. when Mathias Schergen pushes open the side door at Chicago’s Jenner Elementary Academy for the Arts.

He walks down the hall toward the office to sign in. It’s the same routine he’s had as Jenner’s art teacher for nearly a quarter century.

“It’s gonna be a good day,” a colleague calls out. “It’s a good day.”

They hug. It seems like a typical Friday. Except it’s not.

After 23 years at Jenner Elementary, Schergen is retiring.

“Is this your last day?” asks a first-grader.

A self-described child of the ‘60s, Schergen has a gray man bun and a contagious laugh.

Even on his last day, there are still art projects to finish. He’s got students cutting wood and painting and assembling a miniature city.

Schergen leaves behind a rich legacy at this school. He’s won grants for art projects. He turned an empty classroom into a museum. He’s pushed his students to make art about their lives. And he was awarded a Golden Apple — the most prestigious teaching award in Chicago.

‘Mr. Spider’ Says Goodbye: An Art Teacher’s Final Day At School

Photo credit: Elissa Nadworny/NPR

Check out the latest installment in NPR’s series on 50 great teachers, which features AFT member Mathias Schergen, better known as “Mr. Spider.”

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