Honoring Jacqueline Gaertner’s history at Whitefish High School

The Whitefish Pilot is presenting work from Whitefish High School students in Chris Schwaderer’s AP Language class and the Journalism Club. This week's contribution is from Vanessa Solomon, a junior. 

Jacqueline Gaertner’s journey to becoming a teacher is anything but conventional.  

Growing up as one of seven siblings who didn’t have a lot of direction provided to her, Gaertner’s education was never guaranteed. She never liked high school and never imagined herself as a high school teacher. In fact, she always thought she’d go to law school.  

Instead, she studied history as her major and, somewhere along the way, picked up her teaching license before exploring Asia and teaching English as a second language. Traveling abroad is something Gaertner would recommend to everybody.  

“Standing on the Great Wall of China was pretty epic,” she recalled, saying it was a moment that deepened her passion for history.  

Upon returning, Gaertner took a job at our beloved Whitefish High School. Now, thirty years later, she has mastered her methods of teaching world history, United States history and psychology.  

Taking on several regular and advanced placement classes, Gaertner has discovered the secret to success while managing a heavy workload. Her advice to any teacher willing to take on the challenge is to “learn how to create work-life balance. You're a better teacher when you have enriching things outside of school.”  

“Teaching the AP histories has definitely been a highlight for me,” Gaertner said. “Taking on those classes is a lot of work and leaves you questioning, ‘Can I do this?’ 

“But it’s the students that you make connections with,” she said. “I’ve had students tell me they wanted to be a history teacher after having a class with me. That’s what makes it all worth it.” 

Bridging psychology and history, her teaching philosophy emphasizes critical thinking and understanding human motivation.  

“Psychology and history go really closely together,” she said.  

Gaertner uses Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to apply an understanding of what motivated characters of the past.  

“History teaches examples of great and bad leadership,” she said. “It gives people an insight into humanity and what motivates people.”  

Gaertner wants her students to always look at both sides of the story. Even today, “as politically divided as we are,” Gaertner believes that “healthy democracies live in the messiness of the middle.”  

“Everything is nuanced; it's these shades of grey and that applies to life and everything,” she added.  

As for where you’ll find her after retirement, she’s exploring her world of options. She's passed the exam to be a certified personal trainer, toyed with the idea of tutoring for AP history classes, and said maybe she’ll even work part time in a coffee shop. 

No matter what, you will certainly catch her mountain biking, hiking, trail running and enjoying a great cup of coffee. She especially loves Wild Coffee and Montana Coffee Traders.  

When it comes to the legacy she hopes to leave, Gaertner says she wants her students to remember that she cares about them and offers these parting words of advice. 

“Work hard even if you don't know what you want to do,” Gaertner said. “Even if your passion is something different, you can be successful at it. Keep all your doors open and listen to your heart.”