Angela Hillier didn’t always picture herself as a teacher. In high school, she thought she might become an architect, until a class placement brought her into a first-grade classroom for part of each day. Helping students learn, listening to their questions, and being part of their daily growth changed everything.
“I fell in love with it,” Angela says. “That experience showed me what it meant to truly work with children.”
More than two decades later, Angela is a Transitional Kindergarten teacher at Birch Street Elementary in Kalkaska Public Schools and a 2025 TeachMichigan Aspiring Leader Teacher. Her career path — from paraprofessional to preschool, kindergarten, and now transitional kindergarten — reflects both persistence and purpose, shaped by life experience, family, and a deep understanding of what young learners need most.
Learning Through Struggle, Teaching Through Understanding
Angela’s approach to teaching is deeply informed by her own experience as a student. Growing up dyslexic, school was often difficult, a reality that now shapes how she supports her students.
“I know what it feels like to struggle,” she says. “And I know how powerful it is when someone helps you find success, even when it feels small to others.”
What began as an expectation that she might teach math evolved into a passion for helping students learn to read. Watching students experience those early breakthroughs, the moment a sound connects, a word makes sense, or confidence begins to build, remains one of the most rewarding parts of her work.
A Classroom Where Safety Comes First
For Angela, learning can’t happen unless students feel safe, cared for, and ready to engage. That belief shows up in countless small but meaningful ways.
She keeps hair supplies and clean clothes in her classroom. She checks in on students’ emotional needs before academic ones. She builds relationships with families and stays connected long after students move on.
“My number one job is to keep my students safe and taken care of,” Angela says. “They can’t learn if they’re hungry or uncomfortable.”
Former students still return to visit. Some join her for lunch during tough weeks. Parents reach out to share updates or ask for support. These ongoing relationships are one of the clearest reflections of Angela’s impact.
That level of care is something Principal Arica Zenner sees consistently in Angela’s work.
“Angela is always going the extra mile for her students,” Zenner says. “She attends their extracurricular activities to show them wraparound support.”
Zenner also describes Angela as a strong advocate for students and a recognized leader within her grade level, noting that she regularly volunteers for new initiatives and actively seeks out resources and support to help her students succeed.
The Foundations That Come First
Teaching transitional kindergarten allows Angela to focus on what growth really looks like at the beginning of a student’s educational journey. She tracks progress through anecdotal notes, observation, and social-emotional development, recognizing that not all learning shows up on a test.
Helping students make safe choices when emotions run high, express themselves clearly, and develop confidence in unfamiliar situations is just as important as academic benchmarks.
Angela is grateful to work with leadership that recognizes this broader view of success, one that values growth in behavior, confidence, and independence alongside early academic skills.
Learning That’s Hands-On, Joyful, and Memorable
Angela believes young children learn best when they are given time, space, and permission to explore. With more than two decades in the classroom, she’s learned that effective teaching isn’t about repeating what worked before; it’s about responding to the students in front of you.
Early in her career, instruction was often more scripted and uniform. Over time, Angela grew more confident in adapting her practice, building a classroom where learning happens through movement, play, and hands-on experiences. This approach is especially important in transitional kindergarten, where students are still learning how to engage with school itself.
“Things that worked one year might not work the next,” Angela says. “You have to keep adjusting. Learning should feel exciting.”
That flexibility shows up throughout her day, from sensory-rich activities and fine-motor stations to opportunities for exploration that allow students to learn through doing. Angela prioritizes curiosity and engagement, knowing that when learning feels joyful, students are more willing to take risks, persist through challenges, and grow.
One moment students never forget is the 100th day of school. Angela fills the room with 100 balloons for students to pop gives each child a cape to decorate, and leads a parade through the building to celebrate together, a tradition that turns learning into a memory students carry with them long after the day ends.
Strength in Community and Collaboration
Birch Street Elementary is a place where collaboration is built into the school day. With multiple classrooms per grade level and shared planning time, teachers regularly support one another and lean on each other’s strengths.
Angela credits her colleagues for helping her through challenging years, including moments when she questioned whether she could keep going.
“If I survived this year,” she remembers thinking, “I can do it again.”
That resilience, combined with strong relationships, helped carry her forward.
Leading While Still Learning
In addition to her classroom work, Angela serves as a Grade Level Chair and mentor to new teachers, roles she considers among her proudest accomplishments. After more than two decades in education, she knows leadership doesn’t come from having all the answers, but from walking alongside others through the work.
Through TeachMichigan, Angela has reflected on how she shows up for colleagues the same way she shows up for students: listening first, honoring where people are, and creating spaces where growth feels possible. For her, leadership isn’t about position; it’s about care, consistency, and helping others find their footing, just as she once had to find hers.
Angela Hillier
Angela Hillier is a Transitional Kindergarten teacher at Birch Street Elementary in Kalkaska Public Schools with 21 years in education. A 2025 TeachMichigan Aspiring Leader Teacher, she is known for creating safe, hands-on learning environments where young students grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Angela hopes to be remembered as a teacher who cared deeply for every child and made school a place where students felt seen, supported, and excited to learn.
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