‘I didn’t see this coming’: Wheaton teacher surprised with Golden Apple Award

“Wow,” mouthed science teacher James Rowe as he entered the downstairs lunchroom Monday morning at Clare Woods Academy in Wheaton.

The room was filled with students, parents, faculty, therapists, counselors, and administrators of the Wheaton school, 125 E. Seminary Ave.

All there to honor him.

Among the crowd were representatives from the Golden Apple Foundation, including President Alan Mather, who surprised Rowe by presenting him with a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

“I didn’t see this coming,” a stunned Rowe said after scores of congratulations and photos.

An 11th- and 12th-grade instructor who has taught 22 years at Clare Woods Academy, Rowe, 60, is one of 11 Illinois teacher award recipients from among 30 finalists and 470 high school-level nominees.

Clare Woods Academy, part of Bartlett Learning Center, is a private, nonprofit school that provides specialized, therapeutic education for students with diverse learning and behavioral differences, ages 5-22.

Mather called the Golden Apple Foundation “school model-government agnostic.” But choosing a teacher from a private, specialized school is “unique,” he said.

“It’s a big deal,” said Reese Peck, president and chairman of the Bartlett Learning Center board.

A flattered Rowe felt the same.

“I honestly feel I’m a reflection of the staff here as a whole,” he said.

“It means an awful lot not just to me but also for our school. I’m surrounded by so many brilliant and creative teachers who come up with amazing ideas to help our students every single day. They really do inspire me to make school fun,” he said.

They have succeeded.

An Elmhurst resident — his wife, Pat, teaches science and special education at York High School — Rowe may be the unofficial director of fun at Clare Woods.

Rowe attaches stuffed animals to his van so students arriving from as long as a two-hour drive have a smile before their school day and as they leave.

His classroom is like a mini natural history museum — stuffed wall to wall and floor to ceiling with natural and human-made artifacts gleaned through rummage sales, antique shops, and travels with Pat.

“Everybody that works here, that’s their children’s favorite room in the building,” said Amy Bender, Clare Woods principal and Bartlett Learning Center executive director.

A bull shark hangs from the ceiling. In a corner stands a working roller coaster made from K’nex. There’s a mounted velociraptor claw and an antique telephone. He’s got a huge gumball machine whose profits help keep a ball python and red slider turtles comfortable in their tanks.

“He works really hard to differentiate all of his instruction for all of his kids. It takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of effort for him to do all of that. And he does a great job,” Bender said.

His overflowing room is not madness but a method.

“By having a room filled with lots of curios and things — even if a student isn’t interested in what I’m teaching — if they ask me about something in the classroom, they’ve just asked for permission to learn. So it’s creating an opportunity where one didn’t exist,” said Rowe, who has two adult children, Garrett and Graeme.

As a recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, Rowe will receive a $5,000 cash award and a no-cost sabbatical at Northwestern University.

“He makes sure that every student he has — sometimes students who are not always embraced — are embraced, are loved, seen and heard,” Mather said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”