Brian Kriz taught his eighth-grade math students to sing “We Will Rock Math” set to the tune of “We Will Rock You.” 

He taught his students about linear functions with “the Barbie bungee,” an activity that involved dangling a Barbie doll off a stairwell from a bungee cord.   

He motivated them to try their hardest to strike him out during school wiffle ball games, when he teased them about “playing like a champion” against a former competitor at the Little League World Series.   

But Kriz’s most memorable lesson was taught, perhaps, through his public fight with colon cancer. The disease took Kriz’ life on Jan. 20, one day before his 38th birthday. For three years while undergoing treatment, however the Wood Oaks Junior High School teacher continued to come to the classroom — sometimes with a vial of medicine in his pocket and an IV in his arm. 

“His strength was gained from being here in the building and being a teacher,” says Wood Oaks Principal Marc Shaffer. “He would so many times put the school and the kids above his own needs.” 

Kriz “Found His Calling” In Teaching 

Kriz grew up in Norridge, graduated from Gordon Tech High School and planned to attend the University of Illinois. He thought he would major in business and then go into accounting, like his older brother, Mike, who started his own career as an accountant and now works as a lender in corporate finance. 

“He thought that getting a safe and pretty lucrative job was the right thing to do,” says his brother. 

But Kriz soon realized that accounting wasn’t for him, and “found his calling” in teaching instead.

“He took the path that was right for him even though he didn’t feel it was the most popular decision,” says his brother.

Kriz transferred to Northeastern Illinois University, where he majored in mathematics. He later went on to obtain a master’s in education from Concordia University in River Forest and took his first job with Wood Oaks Junior High School. He spent a couple years at Evanston Township High School before returning to Wood Oaks, where he taught math for the last 11 years. 

As a Teacher and a Colleague, He Was Known For Listening

Once in the classroom, it was evident to his peers and his administrators that Kriz had found his passion. 

“The thing that amazed me about him was his ability to make math accessible to every child,” says Shabonee School, assistant principal Sheila Streets, who worked as a math teacher alongside Kriz for 10 years before taking her current position. “He worked to make that happen.” 

Kriz looked out for those kids who were struggling, or who didn’t like math, and made a special effort to make the subject fun — or at least not as scary as it could be. Songs like “We Will Rock Math” and a tune about the number pi helped, as did the game-show style spinner Kriz used to assign problems to his class. So, too, did Kriz’ personal, thoughtful approach to his students. 

“I think one reason why he was such a successful teacher is that he really took the time to get to know his students, he genuinely cared about them, and he was authentic in his relationships,” says Schaffer. 

Colleagues also noticed his thoughtfulness.

“He’d always be the first one to say, ‘Great job,’” whether it was to his coworkers or his students,” recalls Cari Beake, assistant principal at Wood Oaks. “It’s like he knew when you needed that compliment or you needed to know that you did something well.” 

Although Kriz was known for losing pens and leaving papers strewn in piles, his mind was a steel trap for personal details, according to fellow Wood Oaks math teacher Jill Sullivan. 

“He would ask you about a sister he had met once a few years ago when she visited school,” she wrote in an e-mail. “He would recall that you were going to check out a play or a band on Friday night and would follow up on Monday by asking how you enjoyed it.  He did this not just with his colleagues, but with all the students.  He made you feel he was really listening and really cared how your life was going.”

Sickness Didn’t Stop Him 

Kriz was diagnosed with stage four, metastatic colon cancer in June 2008 and underwent surgery to remove a couple feet of his colon in July of that year. Despite his illness, colleagues say his car continued to be one of the first ones into the parking lot and one of the last ones to leave. 

During professional development days last year, as he grew increasingly sick, Kriz would leave for chemo treatment in the middle of the day, then return for the last hour, recalls Streets.

“He was so dedicated to working with his peers,” she says. “That was one thing I admired in him.” 

On days when he had chemotherapy in the morning, Kriz would also come in to teach in the afternoon. Sometimes, he even received treatments while teaching, carrying a bottle of medicine in his coat pocket.

“He took the fear away from it, because the kids were aware of it, and he still went on with his life,” says Streets.

Kriz' impact on them was reflected in an outpouring of support, in the form of hundreds of letters, cards, e-mails and even a homemade DVD.

Just before Christmas, Streets delivered a giant envelope full of cards and letters from students to Kriz’s parent’s house in Norridge, where he spent the last few months of his life. 

Flipping through the notes from students, Kriz was dumbfounded.

“His statement was, ‘I can’t believe people care this much,’” says Streets. “He didn’t realize the impact he was making.” 

Kriz’s family held a wake on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at Cumberland Chapels in Norridge. His funeral was set for 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at Bethel Community Church, 7601 W. Foster Ave. in Chicago. Family members have requested donations to Compassion in lieu of flowers.