Shannon Helgeson. High school and adult learning.
Helgeson, formerly a business owner, has taught social studies 16 years. By not going straight into education, she said she understandings of the world outside of field. “I just really feel like my teaching skills have been challenged here, and I’ve grown a ton since I’ve been here,” Helgeson said. “Some of my favorite things about teaching are when students stop becoming consumers of knowledge and start becoming creators have knowledge.” When times are tough, as during pandemic, she reflects back on how much her teachers meant to her as a child helps her push on, she said. With her husband, Helgeson has three children, and a 12-week-old grandson.
Katrina Glick. First grade at Goodview Elementary.
Glick said kindness is a key part of life that should be shown to everyone. “I think that every time that a kid’s having a hard time I don’t necessarily know how their morning started or how their evening ended. So, I just try to show them some love and kindness at school and hope that their day can turn around a little bit,” she said. She said her favorite parts of her career are both the students, whom she gets to watch develop and grow in their futures, and her coworkers, whom she uses asa a good support system. Teachers should keep their minds focused on the future for the sake of the families and children. Glick, a Winona State University grad, has been teaching in Winona 13 years, including kindergarten and also working at Washington-Kosciusko. Glick and her husband have three children a fourthon the way.
Stacy Gobler. Sixth-grade social studies.
Gobler, a former special education teacher, was born into a family of educators who helped shape her desire to become a teacher. Education, she said, has always been a center focus in her life. “Embracing and learning from one another through one another’s experiences” enables her to build strong relationships, she said. She said that no matter the hardships in her career, she keeps adapting to do her job correctly and well. To future teachers who may fine the challenges overwhelming at times, she promises: “It gets better.” Gobler and her husband have two daughters.