Building Relationships Retired Bryden Teacher, Steve Jurkovic, Building Relationships in Cleveland and Beyond Steve Jurkovic proudly exhibits a handful of his 750 vinyl albums. S teve Jurkovic is a household name for many in the Beachwood community. A Bryden elementary school teacher for 30 years, Jurkovic won the hearts of many of our children and their parents, and that love didn’t stop when he left the district. Upon completion of his undergrad education, majoring in psychology and sociology, Jurkovic accepted a position as a childcare worker at Sagamore Hills Children’s Psychiatric Hospital in 1978, where he learned a lot about working with children. “It was a locked facility,” he told us, “where the kids were either a danger to others or to themselves.” While employed at Sagamore, Jurkovic heard about an early childhood education master’s Because of these interactions, I gained their trust.” Jurkovic also learned that when he was consistent and fair, and didn’t waiver, the kids would listen. “Sagamore was a tremendous training ground,” he said. “The skills I acquired there were applied throughout my career in Beachwood.” program offered by Kent State After graduating with his University, which was specifically designed for non-education under- master’s degree, Jurkovic’s Kent State counselor guided him to the grads. He felt this was a good fit interview in Beachwood where and enrolled in ‘79. he landed his position as a secHe worked full time while ond-grade teacher. continuing his education, and beDuring his interview, Jurkovic recame more competent in dealing members being asked by Barbara with kids all the while. “I enjoyed Lindsay, then Hilltop principal, for working with the kids,” Jurkovic the difference between a digraph told us, “and I worked all three and a diphthong. When asked, shifts. During second shift, we Jurkovic said he didn’t know but played softball and engaged with them in other non-school activities. would find out. After Lindsay rec- ognized he wasn’t trying to dance his way around the question, Jurkovic was hired. From the beginning, Jurkovic was comfortable with his class management techniques. “I had heard and read that class management was the biggest problem for some new teachers,” he told us. “Coming from Sagamore to Beachwood, all the kids listened! Sagamore was a great training ground.” With class management under control, Jurkovic found his challenges to be in learning the curriculum and understanding how sequence sheets, a Beachwood educational technique in 1980, were used. One of Jurkovic’s first impressions of Beachwood was when administrator Mimi Sobel came in on a Sunday before school, 8 Beachwood Buzz n May 2015