A Champion for Health Careers: Manteca High School Teacher Cheryl Behler Named Advisor of the Year

By Alexis Leal 

The Tower 

At Manteca High School, Cheryl Behler, a Health Careers teacher, Health Occupations Students of America advisor and director, and full-time mom, is an inspiration for future health professionals. 

Behler is even more than an inspiration; she is like a second mother to many of her students, connecting with them on a personal level.  

Walking into her classroom you are met with hospital beds and medical equipment. You will find her working hard teaching, setting things up for upcoming events, and so much more. She has a passion for teaching skills to her students and making sure each and every one of her kids succeed the best that they can.  

“Ms. Behler has the biggest heart. She is very proactive with her students. and she's always there to help her students, achieve the best or be the best human being” said her fellow teacher and HOSA advisor of nine years, Carol Kemper. “I think she absolutely deserved it 100 percent. She works so hard for the students. especially behind the scenes.”  

Behler recently received an Advisor of the Year award for HOSA.  

“I do a lot of setting up fundraisers, a lot of our paperwork for our state leadership conference, our Area Leadership Conference, our fall leadership conference,” Behler said. “I set up transportation. I prepare the students outside of the school day to compete and go to those leadership conferences as well.” 

Behler was shocked by the news of the award. She was named the Advisor of the Year for the Western Division of HOSA and recognized at the national convention in Nashville. She received the award for her contribution  DETAIL 

 “I was extremely surprised,” she said. “… There are advisors all over the world, so being one of many makes me very humble.”  

Behler became interested in nursing in high school. She watched nurses coming in and out of her home to take care of her grandmother who was going through the stages of breast cancer. She was inspired by the care given to her grandmother and family.  

“Watching the nurses and watching how they delivered care and how they cared for not only my grandmother, but my family in a whole, is what started my passion for healthcare,” Behler said. “I knew that that compassion and caring needed it to be passed on. So that is really where I found my love for healthcare is watching that care.”  

She has been teaching at Manteca High School for 20 years now, building connections with students every day at a time.  

 “In all honesty, I never actually thought about becoming an educator. Through my role as a nurse. You're just an educator,” Behler said. “I think I found a passionate love for it because I think I create a good foundation for the next level. And that's post-secondary college. Or trade school or adult school in the healthcare setting.”  

The Tower sat with Cheryl Behler to discuss her career and receiving the Advisor of the Year award.  

The Tower: What have you been doing behind the scenes for HOSA? 

Cheryl Behler: Well, I do a lot outside of just my work here at Manteca High. So, I do a lot of setting up fundraisers, a lot of our paperwork for our state leadership conference, Our Area leadership conference, our fall leadership conference. I set up transportation. I prepare the students outside of the school day to compete and go to those leadership conferences as well.  

TT: Okay, were you surprised to receive the award? 

CB: I was extremely surprised. So, when you're talking about the award that I received, they break the United States into three different sections It's East Coast, Central Coast, and West Coast. They also include the International Advisors as well. So being chosen as the advisor for the Western Coast, there's an advisors all over the world, so being one of many makes me very humble. They also include the International Advisors as well. 

TT: What is it like being a full-time mom and full time teaching here and working as an advisor and director? 

CB: organized chaos, no day is the same. I'm busy from before sunup, and after sundown. So it's it's a busy schedule. So, l on top of my teaching responsibilities as an educator, my advisor responsibilities as HOSA. Also being on Cal HOSA’s Board of Directors. as well as.... Being a mom of sports.... Of a student athlete. It gets to be lots of sleepless days and nights.  

TT: What are ways that you like to support and connect with your students?  

CB: I think I connect with them on a personal level. I ask them how their days are. I can typically tell if they've had a bad day. If they're struggling, if they're going through something different. I think that.. making. my classroom a place of safety has helped a lot. Most of my students come in before school, come in after school, come during lunch, come on days off if they know I'm here. You create a safe environment and somewhere where the students can be who they are and not have to worry about anything else. 

TT: That's a great answer. What made you decide to teach health careers and take on your role as the advisor? 

CB: In all honesty, I never actually thought about becoming an educator. Through my role as a nurse. You're just an educator, and there's no educator label on that. This opportunity actually was not planned, But obviously, this is, I believe, my 20th year here at Manteca Unified School District. I taught at Ripon before. I think I found a passionate love for it because I think I create a good foundation for the next level. And that's post secondary college. Or trade school or adult school in the healthcare setting. 

TT: Who has been in your corner the most and supported you during your career? 

CB: My daughters… I give up a lot of time. To create something for the students. So, my daughters come along with me every step of the way. So, it would have to be my daughters.  

TT: How do you stay on top of all of your responsibilities?  

CB: Lots of sticky notes. Lots of sticky notes, lots of calendar reminders. Lots of asking my students to remind me to do things throughout the day. So it's just lots of lots of organization. Calendar, making sure that I have things on my calendar, making sure that I know what's coming next.  

TT: What is most important to you as a director? What are your priorities?  

CB: Delivering the real world relevant skills to my students. When I look at my position as an educator. I'm creating the next generation of nurses, Doctors, physical therapists.. Even educators. So I think a lot of it is just giving our students what they need to be successful when they transition into the world.  

TT: Is there anything about when you were growing up that led you here? How was it when you were growing up? 

CB: That's a pretty powerful question. So, when I was in high school, my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and back then, we didn't have the technology that we have now. I watched my grandmother go through the stages of cancer all the way to the end stage, where hospice nurses actually came into our household to take care of her. And watching the nurses and watching how they delivered care and how they cared for not only my grandmother, but my family on a whole, is what started my passion for healthcare, because I knew that that compassion and caring needed it to be passed on. So that's really where I found my love for healthcare is watching that care. 

TT: Thank you, that is all.