If every teacher was like Jane Hinterlong, students would have no missing assignments, we’d have 10,000% attendance, and every student would graduate knowing they were loved. Also, we’d have a lot more “Hinterlock” related incidents, iykyk . . .
Hinterlong is a beloved English teacher here at William Henry Harrison High School. She has taught at WHHHS for nearly 37 years, and she taught at Mt. Healthy for a year and a half before that. With such a long tenure as a Wildcat, many other staff members can’t imagine the school without her, simply because she was here when they started teaching, and has taught beside them ever since. Hinterlong has taught students, and then, years later, has taught their children. Through all of this teaching, Hinterlong never fails to make it known that teaching is one of her favorite things to do.
Mrs. Hinterlong isn’t just a teacher who exclusively stays at her desk and hands students a packet and tells them to do it, she loves to get up and perform excitedly. Watching her teach is exciting, because she is excited about what she is teaching. Students in her class have the feeling that they are watching a master at work. Her skill set and passion mean that she is able to teach and push students to do things they thought they were incapable of doing reading and writing wise.
Though many (these two authors included) believe she is the best English teacher at WHHHS, many don’t know teaching English was not her first option. In fact, she initially wanted to go into the medical field. After her freshman year of college, she realized she wasn’t excelling in her classes like how she was in English. So, she decided to drop the medical field route and change to English as a major. However, her parents wanted her to have more than just an English degree. As a solution, she and her parents agreed on her going into teaching. Thank goodness! Because of that choice, we have gotten to have one of the most influential and loved teachers that William Henry Harrison High School has ever known.
One of the thing that students love about Mrs. Hinterlong’s teaching is how interactive it is. She plays videos, or in her words “Vidgeos” for students to watch and even has themed days every week for students to participate. These include Wordle Wednesday, Cartoon Thursday and Scattergories, which is played on the last Tuesday of every month. These are big hits that students love because it lets them pull away from the work and have fun. She also does SFPQ (senior flash poll questions) for students to work on their speaking and listening skills. The friendly confines of the triple ones (her room number) do not disappoint when it comes to connection.
Hinterlong will sadly be retiring after this school year, so if you have never experienced the joy of having her, we feel bad for you. We asked her some questions so you could get to know her a little better!
When asked “What is your favorite class ever?” Hinterlong replied with “2010 and 1998, however there are kids in every class who stand out.” Another question that was asked is, “How do your last few weeks at William Henry Harrison High School feel?” Hinterlong gave such a heartwarming answer; She said, “I’m not ready, however 2025 seems like a good year to go, I’m still very mixed about it.” This melted our hearts knowing we are losing such a wonderful teacher who still has a part of her who wants to stay.
Mrs. Hinterlong is a beloved teacher that will be missed, but she has impacted every student of hers significantly, so she can go relax with her feet kicked up, eating bon bons and enjoying her well-earned retirement.
