October Teacher Feature: Mr. Mamerow

Mr. Mamerow in the school shop. Photo from Mr. Mamerow

Grace Strelow

October’s teacher feature is dedicated to Mr. Alan Mamerow. He teaches multiple different classes spanning from Mechanics, Automation, and Construction classes. This is Mr. Mamerow’s sixth year of teaching; he is also an alumnus of this district as he graduated from Hamilton (2013), Templeton, Woodside, and Willow Springs. Mr. Mamerow adds, “After high school, I worked on the grounds crew over summer and during winter and spring break for college (UW-Stout). I like to jokingly say that those all count as ‘years with the district’, making this my 23rd year as a part of the Hamilton community.” 

Mr. Mamerow decided he wanted to become a shop teacher in 8th grade and never looked back.  He adds, “I greatly enjoy hands-on work, which is one of my reasons for being a shop teacher. I spent lots of time in my dad’s shop over summer when I was younger, helping him prep project material for each school year.” Outside of teaching, he also works to frame new houses and other hands-on work.  These activities fuel his drive to be in constant motion and showcase his love of “being able to build things and go from material to a finished product.” 

Mr. Mamerow’s experience and enthusiasm makes him well respected amongst his department members. Mr. Tom Schlueter states, “The Applied Engineering and Technology Department is grateful to have Mr. Mamerow. His work ethic is amazing and he is a great problem solver. We never see him shy away from responsibility and I believe we all look to him to keep us all motivated on completing department tasks. Let’s not forget how epic the Mamerow moustache is!”

Mr. Mamerow is well known outside of his department, partially due to his notable moustache and his technology skills.  PK, his former teacher and mom, states, "As Mr. Mamerow's colleague I am exceedingly grateful that he was willing to help this tech-challenged teacher manage Google Classroom and Screencastify during COVID lock-down.  As his AP Stats teacher, I smiled when I heard of the times he used what we learned as both an undergrad and graduate student.  As someone who has known him for more than a quarter-century, I am thankful for the folks in the Applied Engineering Program who have helped him become a better teacher and proud of his work ethic and unwillingness to settle for mediocrity.”  She also adds, “As someone who would like to have grandchildren, I hope that someone knows a wonderful single twenty-something female that can play matchmaker.  (And this young lady will forgive me for his inability to iron anything.)"

 Read on to hear more from Mr. Mamerow.

If you won 100 million dollars what would you buy first?

While I have several purchases I would make, the first would be a current-generation Ford GT.

What is your favorite animal and why?

Dogs. Who doesn’t like dogs?

What would you say if you met your past self?

I would remind myself that life is a lot better when you do things that are difficult or that you don’t want to do. Delaying gratification pays huge dividends in the future. 

What’s your favorite place on earth and why?

This is a difficult one. Most people would say Menards because I do a fair amount of shopping there for project supplies, but I also like Neu’s and Home Depot for the tools that they have. I also really enjoy being on a jobsite over the summer when I’m framing houses or really anywhere with a shop where I can be working on projects and building things.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

You will not be motivated every single day of your life. Don’t count on motivation, count on discipline, so that you can do things even when you don’t feel like doing them. Discipline equals freedom.

Mr. Mamerow working on his summer construction job. Photo by Mr. Mamerow

What’s a surprising fact about you that students don’t know?

That someone in my family has been working for the district since it was formed. My grandmother was the secretary for the first superintendent and worked in district office, my father taught shop classes here in the early 80s, my mother currently teaches here and has since 1983, and now I’m here.

What would you change about Hamilton and why?

I would start the school year two weeks earlier so that we can be done by Memorial Day weekend. By Memorial Day I am always ready for summer to start, the students are ready for summer to start, and those last two weeks after a long weekend are the most exhausting. A huge percentage of the student body is already back at school in early August for athletic practices anyway, let’s start earlier and end earlier.

What is something you collect?

Lego sets. I have always loved building things, which began when I was a kid and is one reason that I wanted to be a shop teacher. I still make sure to acquire a few new sets each year to add to my museum collection. Also, tools. I will never have enough tools, because if you can’t be handsome you should at least be handy.

If you could teach any other subject what would it be?

Personal finance and investing.

What’s the funniest or most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you as a teacher?

Losing pep rally tug-of-war twice probably makes it to the top of the embarrassing list. I need to hit the weight room.

Could you see yourself as a middle school or elementary teacher?  Why/why not?

Not a chance. I do not have enough patience for how high-energy the younger students are.

Do you prefer to teach kids in the morning or afternoon, and why?

Morning. I am definitely a morning person, I have tons of energy right away in the morning, and students are usually more quiet and attentive in morning classes than after lunch.

What's the toughest decision you've ever made?

I don’t know. Buying a house was a big (and expensive) decision, but not necessarily tough. I wouldn’t say that I’ve had many situations in my life where I’ve had to weigh a variety of options.

What is your favorite food?

I have to pick one? Not possible. I love a ribeye steak from the Fox and Hounds, but also anything Italian with pasta, and Jack’s pizza, and cheese curds, and anything that includes bacon.

Describe yourself in one sentence.

I am a very driven, hands-on person who likes to stay busy and work on projects.

What do you hope never changes?

My metabolism. I can eat like a bottomless pit and it is awesome.

If you could live in any time period/decade, what would it be?

I would stay in the present. It’s pretty good.

What’s with the mustache?

I started growing the mustache during the spring semester of my freshman year of college, and have never shaved it off since. For the first five years or so it was just a basic mustache, and then I decided to see if I could grow it out more and use mustache wax to curl it every day. The first few months of that were pretty rough, since it wasn’t long enough to wax properly but was long enough to look ugly. Then spring of 2020 happened, we got sent home, we were wearing masks, and I was able to grow it out and not worry about trimming it for a while, resulting in the big mustache that exists today.

What do you most value?

Work ethic.

What fictional character best represents you?

Tim “The Toolman” Taylor