Her Story
Deb Tackmann has taught health education for thirty-six years, most recently at Eau Claire North High School. She says she rarely uses worksheets; administrators have found her standing on desks or leaping across the room in a purple fairy costume. Her classroom, she says, is like an amusement park where each “ride” delivers “a bite of knowledge or a life skill that is real, relevant and useable immediately outside the classroom.”
Her lessons use milk, food coloring and dish soap, bags of colored beans, dice games and role play to help students explore real decisions about health, relationships, safety and risk. Students may retake an assessment if they present a plan for improving, and she works with peers every Wednesday to write common assessments and analyze student work. A former student sums up her approach: “Never once did she stand and lecture at a yawning group.”
Her principal, who calls her record “sustained excellence,” says students lead many efforts in the school and community because “they don’t want to let her down.” The school’s district curriculum coordinator, whose own daughter is now in her class, calls her “a transformational teacher.”
Beyond the Classroom
As adviser of Students Against Destructive Decisions, Tackmann created Wisconsin’s first anti-drinking-and-driving pre-prom mock car crash, which earned national recognition in USA Today and has served as a model for hundreds of schools. Her students also run Lights on for Life, Grim Reaper Day, Hunter Safety Week, seat belt and anti-texting campaigns, and a heart health and CPR drive. Her work with teens was featured on Dateline. With University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire students, a local police department and a national speaker, they created an anti-bullying week that reached more than 1,500 people.
Tackmann received a national health education award as School Health Professional of the Year (2004) and received the Walt Disney American Teacher Award (2001), along with numerous state honors. She has mentored more than 300 education majors and supervised over fifty student teachers, taught as an adjunct professor, and given keynotes and workshops in more than twenty-nine states.
Philosophy Into Practice
Tackmann believes “the art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery within students,” and that health education has to change behavior and attitudes as well as knowledge. She tries to make every lesson real, relevant and hands-on so students take ownership of it.
She names two wishes for American education: that every school have a safe and positive climate, free of bullying, and that every educator have access to ongoing, high-quality professional development, which she sees as the antidote to teacher burnout.
“Thank you for believing in me when I did not believe in myself.”— Former students, as Tackmann recalls their words
In Her Own Words
“I believe that the art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery within students.”— Deborah L. Tackmann
“There is absolutely nothing I would rather do than inspire and empower youth to be healthy and successful!”— Deborah L. Tackmann
“Professional development nourishes us and in turn we nourish our students.”— Deborah L. Tackmann
What Others Said
I have never observed a teacher who works so tirelessly for her students, the profession and the overall goal of education.”— Dr. Darrel Lang, nominator and colleague
“Sustained excellence…That’s Deb!”— David Valk, Principal, Eau Claire North High School
“I have never met any other teacher with more passion, compassion, empathy, knowledge of the subject matter and ability to teach valuable life skills than Deb.”— Tom Kidd, colleague
“Deb is a transformational teacher, and is an ideal nominee for your program.”— District curriculum coordinator, Eau Claire Area School District
“Deb’s classes were alive.”— Stacy Jane Kluck, former student