Teacher Louise Riek

Contact Information

Louise Riek

About Louise

'There is no substitute for experience' and among our multi-talented school staff, no one has more years in the classroom than Louise Riek.

Louise, a Milwaukee native, taught in Niles, Illinois for 6 years before accepting our call to teach K-8 at Holy Word in 1976. At that time, Holy Word was a mission congre-gation and it was just the 3rd year of our school's 30-year history. Joyce Radloff (the pastor's wife) assisted Louise on a part-time basis and together, in a portable building, they taught 23 students that year

The school's enrollment remained in the low-20s until the 1980's ushered in a period of steady growth that lasted into the mid-90's. The present school building was dedicated on September 6, 1982. One year later, Carl and Cheryl Hochmuth arrived to fill the roles of principal and upper grade teacher. At that point, Louise taught grades 1-4, and she has taught several grade combinations since, most recently grades 1&2.

Changes... Among the many changes which Louise has seen during her tenure, one of the most significant relates to the amount of media faced by today's students. MP3 music, DVD movies, the internet, and video games; all combine to bombard our children with information, which can affect their ability to focus on traditional learning methods (i.e. books). At the same time, technology has brought many rich educational opportunities that didn't previously exist. As the landscape of learning (and society) changes, it becomes all the more important to instill the principles of God's Truth in our children (a compass of God's wisdom in a turbulent world).

What motivates a teacher who has experienced so much? For Louise, it's the enthusiasm she witnesses from young Christians as they embrace the treasures of God's Word and as they progress in basic academic skills.