MONROE - With the new school year about to start, teachers are preparing to welcome their new students.
"Most teachers are constantly planning," said Debbi Sabatke, a teacher at St. Victor School. "When I go to the store, I'll see something and start thinking of things I can do to put it into a lesson plan."
Sabatke, who has taught 4K for 12 years, said each new school year is a little different from the last, with new students interested in different things. However, she said, she tries to learn one new thing about each new student within the first days of school so that she can learn everyone's name by the end of the week.
"They get name tags anyway, and their names are everywhere," Sabatke said, explaining that name recognition is a significant part of kindergartners' education.
"A big part of what I do is helping students develop a love for school," Sabatke said. "If they don't like coming here then it's going to be a long, hard time."
Fifth-grade teacher Brittany Klitzke said her students are typically eager to learn when the year begins, thanks to teachers like Sabatke.
"It's a small school, so I know all the students' names already," Klitzke said. "Once they're here, I make sure they know my classroom rules and that's pretty much all we need."
Klitzke, who has taught fifth grade at St. Victor for five years, said her students are intellectually very different from the kindergartners she used to teach and hopes to spend more time fine-tuning a new science and social studies curriculum.
"I try to spend a few hours here and there throughout the summer to put together new lesson plans," Klitzke said.
Meanwhile, Sabatke said she was working on a new lesson plan for manipulable lessons without right or wrong answers.
"Like blocks, for example," Sabatke said. "Blocks can be anything - they can be cars or houses or people. They're not just cars. There's no right or wrong way to use blocks."
The first day of school for Monroe's elementary and middle school students and high school freshmen is Sept. 5. The first day for grades 10-12 is Sept. 6.
"Most teachers are constantly planning," said Debbi Sabatke, a teacher at St. Victor School. "When I go to the store, I'll see something and start thinking of things I can do to put it into a lesson plan."
Sabatke, who has taught 4K for 12 years, said each new school year is a little different from the last, with new students interested in different things. However, she said, she tries to learn one new thing about each new student within the first days of school so that she can learn everyone's name by the end of the week.
"They get name tags anyway, and their names are everywhere," Sabatke said, explaining that name recognition is a significant part of kindergartners' education.
"A big part of what I do is helping students develop a love for school," Sabatke said. "If they don't like coming here then it's going to be a long, hard time."
Fifth-grade teacher Brittany Klitzke said her students are typically eager to learn when the year begins, thanks to teachers like Sabatke.
"It's a small school, so I know all the students' names already," Klitzke said. "Once they're here, I make sure they know my classroom rules and that's pretty much all we need."
Klitzke, who has taught fifth grade at St. Victor for five years, said her students are intellectually very different from the kindergartners she used to teach and hopes to spend more time fine-tuning a new science and social studies curriculum.
"I try to spend a few hours here and there throughout the summer to put together new lesson plans," Klitzke said.
Meanwhile, Sabatke said she was working on a new lesson plan for manipulable lessons without right or wrong answers.
"Like blocks, for example," Sabatke said. "Blocks can be anything - they can be cars or houses or people. They're not just cars. There's no right or wrong way to use blocks."
The first day of school for Monroe's elementary and middle school students and high school freshmen is Sept. 5. The first day for grades 10-12 is Sept. 6.