Position: Competency Program

Email: hickeywj@milwaukee.k12.wi.us

Mr. Hickey runs the Competency Program at Casimir Pulaski High School. Students who are seniors and at risk of not graduating high school enter his program, and together they work to close the credit gap so they can graduate by the end of the school year.

Mr. Hickey became a teacher for several reasons. There are three teachers—one in elementary school, one in middle school, and one in high school—who ignited his passion for learning and inspired him to seek out more information on his own. Additionally, his high school coaches played an important role by explaining not just what they were doing, but also why they were doing it. As he was graduating high school, Mr. Hickey wanted to coach a sport at the high school level, and it was coaching that ultimately drove him toward teaching.

In his classroom, Mr. Hickey tailors his lesson plans to meet his students’ individual needs. As the students work toward earning their high school diplomas, it is their responsibility to create work that they find meaningful and rewarding. He helps guide them toward meeting the necessary requirements, but he does not dictate what they “need” to know. For Mr. Hickey, what the students want to know is the most important aspect of their education, and he is there to provide the tools to help them answer their own questions.