This week’s staff spotlight is Ann Barkel. She is currently teaching 2nd grade in the Marcus elementary and teaches all subjects. Ann has been teaching for the past 36 years! Ann grew up in Mandan, South Dakota. She attended college starting out at Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota, and then followed a boyfriend (not Mr. Barkel!) to Northwestern College in Orange City. Her major was elementary education, though she also has a minor in music. Mrs. Barkel taught in that area for a couple of years.
Ann’s mom taught kindergarten in their home (it was private in North Dakota at that time) and her dad started out teaching business. Ann’s grandma taught in a one room schoolhouse. She has always loved being IN school, so the education major drew in quite naturally.
Ann loves to watch when kids “get it” after a lesson! She also gets so excited to see her students’ confidence grow as the year progresses. But, she must admit, the hugs and smiles and stories she hears are pretty great, too! When she was in high school she wished someone would have told her to “Cultivate real, true friendships. Don’t worry about being part of a certain crowd or level of popularity. Be you, and be proud of who you are. Those real, true friendships will last for years, and perhaps even a lifetime! They are worth more than gold”. But the advice she would give to the high school students now is “A job doesn’t seem like a job if you love what you do! So, choose something you’ll love each day, or at least most days. You won’t regret it.” Last but not least, Ann would like to give her “Best wishes to all the seniors, and I absolutely love seeing faces that I know from my years at the middle school!”