I appreciate the opportunities I have as principal to work with parents and teachers as we help children grow up knowing who they are and whose they are in Jesus. I especially enjoy seeing children leading through service to others. As a leader at St. Paul, I have the privilege of sharing God's love with children, parents and staff. What a joy it is to live knowing God loves me! I have a BA in elementary education and a MA in educational leadership. I try to stay up to date on educational research so we can best serve the students of St. Paul Lutheran School.
The reason I do my job, which does not feel like a job, is because of the love I have for children and their families. It is not only about the child but the families. Teaching the children that Jesus is in their hearts watching them grow in the start of their spiritual love for Jesus and friends too. The love I have for Jesus shows and I know the love I give to the children is showing that not only do I love them but Jesus loves them too. Love being able to teach them Christian songs, teaching them prayers, showing them that we forgive because Jesus died for our sins. My training is through taking courses every year for 10+ hours of training. Going to church every week. Devotions everyday. Living in a Christian household. Knowing I can go to prayer and the Bible and Jesus knows what I need. Jesus has been my training in the love I have for the families that are in my path.
It is a blessing from God to be able to help guide young minds to succeed in life skills and grow their cognitive knowledge. I believe God's love and light shines through me to my students. His love and understanding is what I lean on to do my job properly. It helped me to better understand developmental milestones so that I can create a fun and learning rich environment for my students.
Working with Preschool children is full of rewards. I am blessed to see many “first “ experiences in their life. These young little minds and hearts are impressionable which inspires me to pour as much as I can into this developmental stage of life. I love to witness their awe of things we take for granted. Although, it is my job to pour into them through academics, social skills and most important Jesus love--they in turn fill my bucket. They make you smile, think you are funny and give great hugs. To know I have such an impact in their life if priceless and never taken for granted. I am humbled every day to make a positive impact. My prior training stems back my degree in psychology and 15 years working with children with special needs. Through my own personal struggles of vision loss, God has blessed me with a gift of child advocacy. My experience in special needs education has given me the tools and knowledge to detect early intervention and behavior modification. Over the years, I have applied this information to my current classroom by creating an adaptive immersive environment for all levels of learners. If my heart could speak, it would articulate God’s over powering love, mercy and grace in my life. Many of my life experiences, valley lows and mountain highs, have impacted my relationship with Jesus. We are asked to witness and disciple. Teaching His truth and love is not just for scheduled Bible time. but throughout our learning day. There is nothing more important than sharing the love of Jesus to a young vulnerable age. The passion for young children to know Jesus is the thread in every part of my daily lessons.
I love teaching 3 year olds because of their enthusiasm, love of learning & energy. Every experience is so exciting to them and I love that I can be there to help them learn and grow. My Christian faith is the most important part on how I teach and how my classroom is a community. We work on & talk about how we are all Good do children & how he loves us, how we can show our love to others, being kind, helping others, and we are all loved. I have a double major in both regular and special education. This has helped me to grow in knowing how all children learn and grow differently. I continue training so that I can evolve as a teacher and help my students.
It gives me great joy to watch children grow in their faith socially, emotionally, and spiritually from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. In my classroom, we are always sharing God’s love each day in all we do and all we say. Having thirty years experience in the Lutheran ministry has helped me equip the love of Jesus into the families and students that I serve.
Teaching PreK allows me to see life through a child's eyes everyday. We get to lay a foundation of learning and life skills that will give each student tools for living and learning for the rest of their lives. Everything is exciting in PreK. My faith is the core of everything I do. Being able to share God's love with my students is a true blessing and my prayer is that God uses me and our time together to plant seeds of faith in each child and that they will continue to grow in their faith throughout their lives. I was blessed to be able to attend a Concordia University and receive Lutheran Education training. From there, I have had experience teaching in several different denomination/faith-based schools which has taught me a lot about other faiths and in turn has strengthen my own Lutheran faith.
Teaching kiddos to “break the code” and learn to read is truly a highlight. We make learning fun and have a hard time picking out our favorite part of the day. We see God’s handiwork in all our lessons from geometry to trees; celebrations to citizenship; snails and slugs to physical education. God is everywhere! Society has changed over the last 25 years but building relationships with kids and families has not. By finding common ground we can reach each child where they are and help them grow in wisdom and stature; in favor with God and people.
Watching the growth of a first grader from the beginning of the year is amazing. They are fascinating, increasingly independent, and resilient learners. A first grader will never let you have a bad day, someone is always ready to compliment your shoes, give you a hug, or deliver a well timed joke. Each day in first grade is a new day. A day to start fresh and new, forgiven and clean. Being in a Lutheran school gives us the opportunity to share Bible stories, joyfully sing and praise God together, pray together through the tough times, and be awestruck at God's hand in the connections being made everyday between His Word and our lives. Attending Lutheran elementary schools myself I had many role models. My time spent at Concordia, Seward and Concordia, Irvine gave me the practical skills needed for education, a true love of children's literature, and a passion for integrating technology within my classroom.
Second graders bring a lot of enthusiasm into the classroom. They are curious and enjoy learning. I enjoy helping them strengthen their basic skills so they have a strong foundation for learning while challenging them to keep growing. I enjoy finding topics and books that spark their imaginations and keep them wanting to investigate a topic at deeper levels. My Christian faith gives me the identity of a child of an amazing God. This enables me to lead a classroom of grace where each student is is also viewed as a unique child of God. As we read stories, look at science lessons or discuss different times throughout history, we view it all as a part of the world God created for us. Together we get to explore his Word and love us while sharing His love, power, and forgiveness with each other. My educational training and years of experience have given me a strong base of knowledge to help understand and capitalize on the way children learn. I had to joy of learning both child development and faith development at the same time so I can integrate our faith into each area of the day. I have taught both first and third grade at other times in my careers so I have a strong knowledge of what skills they are bringing in, and also what skills they will need for the following year.
Third grade is a fun age to teach. In third grade, children are moving from learning to read to reading to learn. It is exciting to help children take this huge step in their education. My Christian faith impacts everything I do in my classroom. Teaching kids about the love of Jesus is an honor. I view every student as a child of God, created in His image. Each student is loved, offered grace, and allowed the opportunity to reach their God-given potential. My past experience in early childhood and elementary education, along with my master's degree in Special Education, has prepared and equipped me for my current role as the Third Grade teacher and Resource Room teacher. I have a deep understanding of child development, learning styles and needs, and strategies to differentiate educational concepts to meet the needs of all children.
4th graders are a lot of fun. They are beginning to really take ownership in their education. My faith is a constant reminder of why I chose to become a Lutheran teacher. I have the privilege of sharing the Gospel with my students every day and pray that their faith grows and develops long after they leave my classroom. My educational training equipped me for my current ministry by giving me opportunities to practice in the field. I also had wonderful mentors with whom I am still in contact today. Their faith and willingness to share God's love with children and their families has given me a constant goal to strive toward in my ministry.
Teaching middle school history and math is a true joy of mine. I love to see students begin to think abstractly and ask amazing questions about topics that we are covering in class. I especially love leading in class discussions and connecting history themes of the past to our current world of today, and how we can apply our learning to our future. It's amazing what they can come up with! I am blessed with the opportunity to share Jesus with all of the students that come into my classroom. I strive to help them grow spiritually along with academically, emotionally, socially, and physically. I love watching my students grow throughout the school year and continue to grow beyond my classroom, especially in their own walk with God. I graduated from Concordia University Nebraska in with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, an Endorsement in Special Education, and a Lutheran Teaching diploma. My experiences in college and my many years in the classroom have made me the teacher I am today.
Middle school students are excitable and enjoy learning. Their minds are developing enough that they can start to think more abstractly, which makes literature more fun! Every day I get to tell students about Christ's love and grace. I have a bachelor's in secondary education focused in English, a bachelor's of music, and am currently working on my master's in English literature.
The students have a sense of humor along with a love of learning. It impacts everything. It guides how we live with each other every day. Grace, self-control, and forgiveness are key to what we do. There is not a thing I have learned that hasn't been useful in my ministry. As a teacher in a small school, every gift is used.
I enjoy teaching music to preschool 3s through middle school. The students understanding of music at each level is wonderful to observe. The smiles and aha moments are what drive me through each day. Teaching music with a Christian faith brings a purpose to our learning. In my experience as a music teacher, I have seen students come to understand their relationship with God in a new way. This understanding of God leads to respect for Him as well as for others. It also leads to love for others, which translates into caring for each other and doing good works. My educational training in Music Performance has equipped me with a love for music and a desire to help others learn how to use their musical interests as a way to explore their world and express themselves. This was also the foundation for my passion of my current pursuit of a Music Therapy degree. I have taught piano, voice, band, guitar, ukulele, and children's choir.
I enjoy teaching PE because kids from 5-14 years old get to learn how to use one of the most important gifts God gave us, our bodies. Especially then, there are no two kids that are the same or who succeed in the same way. Through PE I see kids that thrive and grow through their own individual skills. As much as my faith impacts my planning for class, I find my faith in Jesus to be a sturdy backbone to all of the split second decisions that have to be made. Having a foundation in what the Bible says helps me quickly think of what God calls me to do and say as a teacher to these students. With my early career in education, I was surprised at how helpful all my hours of studying outside the classroom and experience inside the classroom has been. I'm grateful to God who put an abundance of great teachers and students in my life to prepare me for this role. I often see this through confidence in my decisions that lead the classroom to respect each other best.