Art Hero, Joyce Kistler

Are you surprised to see my mom in my list of art heroes? It was my mom's support that helped me to become a super art guru!

My family had this rule when we were kids, that books didn't count. What I mean is that books were considered a staple of life just like water and air. Books were always available; one just needed to ask. They didn't count as gifts (water and air aren't given as gifts). We always had zillions of them around. After I had converted the storage closet into my art studio, my mother declared a new rule: art supplies don't count. They wouldn't count as gifts. They'd be as available to me as books were. I'm not sure how my mother afforded all my paints, pencils and art books on a school nurse's salary, but she did!

And just in case you think I'm not completely objective where mom's concerned, this is what Reader's Digest had to say when she was selected as a 1996 American Hero in Education:

Twice a week at 6:30 a.m., a small group of high-school students meets with Joyce Kistler to review the important work ahead of them.

The young people are part of the Peer Advocate program started by Kistler more than a decade ago. Advocates counsel fellow students on problems ranging from family difficulties to the pressures of friends and school. One might even get help for a suicidal classmate.

A Peer Advocate is on duty for each class period of the day. The program is so effective that teachers often refer students to Kistler's volunteer counselors when they suspect a problem.

"Peers are more comfortable talking to peers," explains Kistler, a health teacher and former school nurse whose personal triumph over physical handicaps is a daily inspiration to kids.

With the full support of the school administration, Kistler spends a semester training her carefully selected advocates. For these teens, the experience builds self-confidence and personal bonds that last well after graduation. With contributions from civic organizations and the cooperation of local institutions and professionals, her advocates are thoroughly grounded in the physical and mental health issues that most affect teen-agers.

Crucially important, the Peer Advocates are personally familiar with the nearby professionals and agencies that can help students with serious problems. outside help is as close as the phone, and Kistler's classroom is right next door.

Her program is perhaps the high point of a career marked by exceptional teaching and personal work with students. "Joyce Kistler," says one colleague, "is a teacher that all of us in our fantasies dream to be."