Mitzina Keane teaches English levels three and four in her second-floor classroom. She has been teaching for nine years, and Plainfield High School is the third school she has taught at.
“I was at Rochelle Township High School and then Sandwich High School. At first, I was going to be a business teacher, but I love writing… I went to English because of my love for writing,” Keane said. Keane studied at Elgin Community College, then transferred to Illinois State University. After her time at ISU, she went to Aurora University to become a reading specialist for grades K-12.
Over the summer, Keane married another staff member in the building, Robert Keane, social studies teacher, on July 20. It was 112 degrees with the heat index that day.
“It was a lot of fun and it made for a good story because there were some other things that [were memorable]”.
The Keane’s have two cats, Allie and Noah, named after two characters from “The Notebook”. She also has a twin brother named Mat and an older brother named Nick.
“They also have kids, and I love my nieces and nephews so much. They’re the best,” Keane said.
Keane is a coach for girls’ volleyball in the fall and softball in the spring. While she coaches sports at school, she also plays them in her free time.
“I play slow-pitch softball over the summer, and I’ve been playing that since I was little. Every summer and in school… I think that’s my hobby, just being able to play softball,” Keane said.
David Hughes, English teacher, helps Keane with students in the classroom. They have been teaching together for five years.
“She is very caring and supportive; she always puts the students’ interest first. She always wants to get to know the students,” Hughes said.
Steve Lamberti, English department chair, has observed Keane’s classes, and he knows that Keane is very dedicated to her work as a teacher.
“[Her classroom] is a calm, warm, safe, comfortable place. With that, she pushes her students to think critically to try to apply to real-world things,” Lamberti said.
Lamberti knows that Keane is a teacher who is very dedicated to her work. He also finds her ability to connect with students a strength in her career.
“Mrs. Keane does whatever she can to help students. She is compassionate, she’s patient, and she will do what she can to help others,” Lamberti said.
Olivia Sanchez, senior, had Keane for English III and now has her for English IV. She admires her patience with students and her ability to help anyone out when they are struggling.
“She helps with understanding more about essays, when we do big projects or homework,” Sanchez said. “She actually takes her time with you. Mrs. Keane and Mr. Hughes, both [work] together; they team up together and they get things done. I like the way they both do it because they [will] divide and conquer.”