As he stands outside his door and in the halls, he holds a cup of delicious and warm coffee. He greets his students as they enter his classroom and students he has taught before as they pass him. He converses with other teachers about their day or just life in general. This friendly face is Mr. Tiedeman! He is the English department chair and also a man who has a lot of personality behind him.

Mr. Tiedeman was born on December 7th, 1981 in the small town of Pocahontas, Iowa which is a farming community. He was a townsperson but spent most of his time tending to the farm. At a young age, he developed a work ethic that would greatly benefit him later in life. His parents were Bill and Jeanne Tiedeman and they had three kids. The oldest sister Marti lives in Chicago and is married there. Next, Mr. Tiedeman lives here in the metro Des Moines area with his wife and three daughters. Lastly, his younger sister Alicia, who lives in New York City on the Upper East Side, is married and has been blessed with a newborn.

Tiedeman started his education at Our Lady of Good Counsel School and went there from elementary to eighth grade. In second grade, he did his Reconciliation and First Communion at his local parish. When he became a freshman in high school, he got confirmed into the church. Tiedeman went to Newell-Fonda High School, and played football, basketball, and track. In football, he was the quarterback; in basketball he was the point guard; and did 100 meters, 110 meters hurdles, 2 miles, and 4 x 800 relay for the track team. He was a well-rounded athlete and physically fit.

One of the jobs Tiedeman maintained throughout his childhood was delivering the morning newspaper in his town. He did it for six years from 7th grade all the way up to senior year, and usually woke up at 5 am or earlier to do his routes. Tiedeman states that he knew the town pretty well due to it being small. Tiedeman delivered charm while delivering those newspapers. That charm would later help find his career here at Dowling.

After high school, Tiedeman went to Simpson College in Indianola from 2000-2004. He initially studied accounting and worked in corporate for two years. He didn’t find any keen interest in it and eventually went on to another calling he felt: music.

Tiedeman played the guitar to pay his rent at first but then got blessed with the opportunity to go tour the country with various bands. Tiedeman eventually got the chance to go to Europe with a musician band he had been in and found European audiences more immersed in his music and the gigs that he had performed for them. Tiedeman toured England, Scotland, Wales, and the Netherlands; in England is where he found his beloved affection for Manchester United. He remembers going to Manchester United vs Norwich City, and that game was a historical game because Kagawa became the first Asian player to score a hat trick in the Premier League.

In 2011, Tiedeman’s mother persuaded him to become a teacher. At first, he rejected the idea and didn’t think too much about it. Eventually, being a musician burnt him out and he didn’t want to go back to the office job that was accounting. Listening to his mother, he went back to Simpson College to get a teaching degree and student taught here at Dowling Catholic. 

In the fall of 2012, he taught a semester here at Dowling Catholic in Mr. Shay’s room. That’s right, Mr. Shay’s student taught Mr. Tiedeman when he was still a student teacher. Tiedeman states that Mr. Shay was a good teacher but also a mentor in helping him develop his learning style. Eventually, a position opened up here for a part-time teacher teaching sophomore English classes.

“Part-time teacher but full-time work,” Tiedeman states.

Now, Mr. Tiedeman is also a loving family man as well as a musician. He is happily married to Andrea and together they have three daughters: Cora (7), Remmy (6), and Mabel (3). Tiedeman met his wife online and really enjoyed her company. “She was charismatic, positive, and the most beautiful woman he had ever met,” he explains. Funny enough, they bonded over horror movies and some movies they enjoy together are the original Halloween, Paranormal Activity, and The Shining. They have been together for 10 years now, and Tiedeman always wanted to be a dad.

During COVID-19, the Tiedeman’s lived in Ankeny but bought a house in Waukee. No one wanted to help them move, from the movers to even their relatives, because it was during the early days of the pandemic. So, his wife Andrea and he did the next best thing… they both single-handedly moved their entire family and belongings to Waukee. This really shows the true work ethic and motivation Tiedeman has acquired throughout his life from his time as a morning newsboy or even working on the farm back home.

This is his 11th year at Dowling Catholic as an English teacher, and currently teaches freshman English classes, and creative writing (which I highly recommend taking). He started off as a cart teacher but eventually got his own room and even moved up in the English department as well.

“Yeah, even us teachers gotta earn our wings. Cart teacher first, then comes your own room,” Tiedeman jokes.

 He has also lived through some crazy historical events that have happened. Tiedeman remembers 9/11, which happened in football season during college and he didn’t know what was going on. Tiedeman also remembers the Columbine shooting during which he was a senior in high school. Lastly, he went through the 2008 recession but it didn’t affect him because he didn’t have money at the time.

Some fun facts about Mr.Tiedeman: 

• got the Knights of Columbus “Youth of the Year” award and used it on his resume
• has been on national reality TV
• has multiple music albums
• was all-state in 4 sports (football, baseball, track, and basketball)
• played against Mr. Parriott in football
• favorite movies are Rudy and Forrest Gump
• celebrity inspiration is Leonardo da Vinci

My personal experience with Mr. Tiedeman is that he changed the way I look at English classes now. He is such a passionate and energetic person that you forget you are learning about The Taming of the Shrew or writing a tragedy paper.  He wasn’t always serious in class but an energetic teacher willing to know how his students were.  He worked hard with me to perfect the tragedy paper, and presentation that came along with it. He has a lot of energy, regardless of whether it is the day’s start or end. He will help students out with their work. 

His dad used to say to him, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” The quote means to keep working hard and never celebrate too early because the grind is always going. A quote that Mr. Tiedeman lives by is, “Write it on your heart every day that it is going to be the best.” This truly reflects his work ethic here at Dowling and how he is a respected teacher. He knows how to radiate positivity and passion in the classroom and his family life.  If you ever get the chance, stop by Room 605 and say hi to Mr. Tiedeman. You won’t regret it; he has a lot to share but is also a good listener as well.