Throughout the years, Mr. Brett Cummins has left an impact beyond the classroom for both his students and colleagues. Cummins is the fourth-grade teacher here at Potosi School District, where he has spent 18 of his 21 years of teaching.
Mr. Cummins originates from Cuba City, where he attended high school, but he went on to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (UWP) to further his education. He originally went to school for business, but didn’t like how uniform and strict it was. He quickly switched his major to elementary education because, “kids help keep me young and energetic.” After graduating from UWP, Mr. Cummins got a job at St. Rose Middle School in Cuba City, Wisconsin. He was interested in switching to a public school, which is when he was referred to Potosi by a friend. Mr. Cummins has now been here for 18 years and has made countless connections that will be remembered forever.
Mr. Cummins is known for spreading his energetic personality among students and staff. When talking with current staff members Mr. Cummins can generally be described as positive, kind, funny, and hardworking. Mr. Fry – the high school English teacher – says, “I like how he always has a positive attitude and offers good ideas during the staff development times.” Mrs. Haverland – the district art teacher – states, “he builds really strong connections with his students, which I think is very admirable.”
These positive words and descriptions, however, are not just coming from current staff. Former Potosi School District teacher Caleb Shaw described Cummins as, “a fun and positive person to be around.” Shaw said, “He’s always happy and he made teaching so much more fun and enjoyable for both myself and all our students.” Mr. Shaw provided me with some of his favorite memories of Cummins. Shaw recalled, “One time I was teaching and heard a loud crash. I went across the hall and Brett was on the floor laughing because his desk with everything on it broke in the middle of class and everything fell onto the floor! Both my class and his had a good laugh about that!” Shaw also mentioned that he and Cummins used to coach and play basketball together. Shaw added he “loves playing basketball with him because, even though he’s an old man, he’s a very skilled basketball player. He made me a better player and coach just by collaborating and working together.”
While making an impact on your colleagues is important, Mr. Cummins has made sure to be a positive guiding light in every student's life. A former student of Mr. Cummins, Harmony Reynolds, recalls Mr. Cummins as “very fair” and that he “never judged a book by its cover.” Another former student, Courtney Jepperson, says, “I like how he made learning fun and truly cared for his students.” Courtney especially recalled a very fun time when “Mr. Cummins would help the class practice their spelling with shaving cream on our desks.”
Cummins has not only made an impact on past students, but he is also impacting the current students. Lane Loeffelholz, a current fourth grader, recalled a very fun time that he, Griffin Leibfried, and Mr. Cummins shared. Lane said, “When the Brewers lost Craig Counsell to the Cubs, Mr. C let me and Griffin write letters to the owner of the Brewers.” Mr. Cummins not only teaches the children to be good humans, but he is also allowing them to embrace their individuality; he adapts to the student’s needs in order to teach them in a way that they can understand, rather than expecting them to conform to his curriculum.
We thank Mr. Cummins for his long service at Potosi School District and truly enjoy every memory made. We appreciate his uplifting spirit and infectious attitude helping to spread joy throughout the building and our lives.