Editor’s Note: This article was also published in the Benet Herald 2025 Graduation Edition.
As the 2024-2025 school year comes to a close, the Benet community prepares to say goodbye to the head of the Spanish department, Mr. Butler. Mr. Butler has been a Spanish teacher at Benet for over three decades. In his career, he has taught a wide range of Spanish classes, including Spanish 1 and Spanish 2. At Benet, Mr. Butler has made a profound impact on many of the students as well as his colleagues and fellow teachers, with many considering his teaching to be the “cornerstone” of their Spanish career at Benet.
Mr. Butler has been teaching at Benet for 38 years, coming to teach at Benet in 1987 when he was 21 years old. While in high school, he spent a year going to school and living with families in Argentina and Paraguay. He went on to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish from Illinois Wesleyan University, where he initially studied business but did not enjoy doing so. At this time he was tutoring students in Spanish and decided that that was the direction he wanted to go. He also has a Masters Degree in Spanish from Northern Illinois University. A year after he started teaching at Benet, his now-wife began teaching math there and he states that his favorite Benet memory was meeting her. When asked about about the most rewarding part of his career, Mr. Butler replied: “The most rewarding part of my career has been the experiences with the people I work with the students and the teachers. In particular, working closely with my colleagues during and after COVID has been a growth experience that has brought us all together like never before.” He says that he will miss working with students individually in help sessions, stating that “when a student puts in a lot of time getting extra help and it pays off, it is very rewarding for me.” Finally, Mr. Butler says that nothing is more rewarding than helping students succeed.
All in all, it is clear to see that through his virtues of kindness, dependability, and dedication, Mr. Butler has been an amazing asset to the Redwing community. He has helped students succeed both in class and in individual help sessions, and it is clear to see that teaching has been just as rewarding for him as it has been for the students. Thank you for your service to the Redwing community Mr. Butler!
