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DARWIN SIEVERS Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for DARWIN SIEVERS
Doug Showley
March 17, 2013
I am deeply saddened to learn that Darwin has passed away. My most sincere condolences go out to Joan, Chad, Amanda, and his grandchildren. He always spoke of you with great affection, and I have no doubt his passing was a tremendous loss to you all.
I taught next door to Darwin at Central Noble from 1997 to 2002. As a matter of fact, the wall behind my desk was a retractable one, not solid brick, so we both could hear the muffled interactions of each other's classes. I could even make out what Darwin and his students said if, during my prep period, I leaned back in my chair and turned my head to the side. A young second-year teacher at the time, I eavesdropped often. I'd been told within my first week on the job how effective Mr. Sievers was, and I was eager to learn his craft.
It did not take me long to see – or hear – why he was considered a master teacher. I would listen to him take any topic from any work of literature and make it relevant to an otherwise indifferent teenage kid. He would poke his students to challenge a character's ethics or motives or decisions, and he would prod them to imagine facing similar conflicts or circumstances. I would listen in awe to the emphatic responses he elicited from each pupil, from the strongest to the most challenged learners.
Yes, he could turn anything into a debate, often times pitting himself against the rest of the class. He always cajoled them to dig deeper, regardless of their arguments, yet he never seemed to charge in to the fray with the “right” answer; he never trivialized the students' stances or diminished their hope that they had a chance against him.
At other times he was just the moderator, ensuring that everyone, even the softest spoken, had a voice. And then he would captivate me, as I imagine he did those in his class, as he delivered his own oral commentary, commentary he once told me he often plotted out verbatim the evening before.
I cherish the many casual conversations we shared between classes, during lunch, or after school, not just about the art of teaching, but about our own views of the world. He once asked me – the school's cross-country and track coach – what I thought the sport did for its participants. I made some naïve comment about how the win-or-lose outcome of athletics prepares my runners for the competitive dog-eat-dog real world. With his name tag proudly displayed on his chest, Darwin casually remarked that he wished the human world could learn to thrive without any competition, where no one was relegated to a losing position because of their weaknesses or lack of opportunity. While the misguided coach in me at the time considered such a worldview unrealistic, even blasphemous, I have come to understand since that it's a perspective any truly effective educator would naturally have.
Now, seventeen years into my teaching career, I still strive to be as effective as my mentor. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I do enjoy occasions where I'm able to stimulate in my students, even the struggling ones, a passionate interest in that day's topic. When I do, their heartfelt responses surely carry over into the classrooms next to mine, and with them, they carry Darwin Sievers' spirit.
Doug Showley
Teri Luce
March 14, 2013
I have had the pleasure of working with Darwin for the past 5 years at IPFW. It is hard to believe that he is gone. He loved his students and his students loved him. I saw this here at the university and enjoyed hearing all the stories at his funeral. Darwin was a kind and gentle man with a quick wit and an intelligent sense of humor. He has inspired many and we all miss him dearly. I am glad to have known him.
Karol Dehr
March 12, 2013
Darwin and I began our teaching lives at IPFW the same year, back in 1991. I remember we often crossed paths as we came to campus in the evenings for several years. It was often a lonely existence because there were few of us teaching then. We shared ideas, laughs, and stories. After the years passed and I started teaching during the day, I didn't see him as much, but when I did it, it was always a joy to catch up and share what our families were doing. I will dearly miss Darwin and respected him as both a colleague and friend.
Dawn Cunningham Luebke
March 11, 2013
I remember sitting in the office with a group of fellow colleagues, and he would often be there joining in the conversation. We didn't always talk "shop." He was quiet but had a hidden wit. Please accept my humble heart of sorrow for your loss. May God's Grace guide you on this journey.
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Robin (Case)Brunson
March 11, 2013
My deepest sympathy. I was a student at IPFW and was lucky enough to have him for an English Professor.
Shannon Johnson
March 11, 2013
Every time I enter a classroom to teach, I think about you and hope I'm half as good at this as you. You are my inspiration as an educator and I will miss you dearly.
Jennifer Ponder
March 11, 2013
Leonard and Laura,
You and your family are in my prayers and deepest sympathy for the loss of your brother. May the wonderful memories you shared together comfort you during this difficult time.
Your Friends,
The Ponder Family
Richard Vawter
March 11, 2013
Chad and family, Its never easy to say goodbye to a loved one....especially someone so close to us as a parent. Just remember those we love never really leave us.....they live on in our memories and heart and I'm sure your dad will always be an influence in your life.
March 10, 2013
SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. GOD PROMISES US THAT WE WILL SEE OUR LOVED ONES AGAIN, MAY YOU FIND COMFORT IN KNOWING THAT HE IS WITH YOU NOW.
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