New Addition to

New addition to the Maxfield family

New teacher at Maxfield Elementary starts her first teaching job.

Ms. Gottschalk explains to a fourth grade students how she became a teacher. | Photo by Molly Korzenowski

By Juri and K’vyona

Brooke Gottschalk stood in her classroom decorated with

colorful tissue paper and a rainbow carpet. A student sat next to her working on Graph Tape, a tool to help with rounding. Ms. Gottschalk leaned in to help with the math, and the student was able to continue with the

work.

“Working with students and getting them to work independently is the goal,” Ms. Gottschalk said. “I love

when they have an ah-ha moment.” But Ms. Gottschalk wasn’t

originally looking into being a teacher. She first went into

nursing but then realized it wasn’t for her. It wasn’t until

her family urged her to look into teaching that she finally took an elementary education class. She soon made it her

major, and after getting her teaching license in May of 2019, she applied to 200 different schools for work.

“I thought I was too stubborn to be a teacher,” Ms. Gottschalk said.

started, she got a call back from Maxfield Elementary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and went in for the interview. The

very next day, she got the job. Ms. Gottschalk hurriedly planned out lessons for the students and decorated

her classroom with beach

chairs and flamingo lights for a reading corner and a yoga mat for the relaxation station, a place for the kids to compose themselves.

“MY JOB AS A TEACHER IS TO HELP KIDS GROW NOT JUST IN LEARNING, BUT SOCIALLY TOO.”

“Maxfield is my home away from home; everyone is so welcoming and supportive,” Ms. Gottschalk said. She teaches figurative language among other lessons to her fourth grade class. She said she enjoys the freedom of adding materials to her lessons even

though the lesson plans are all set up for her. Ms. Gottschalk said she turns to

Ms. Earnest, a fellow fourth grade teacher, whenever she needs a second opinion or teaching ideas. “My job as a teacher is to help kids grow not just in learning, but socially too,” Ms. Gottschalk said about

teaching her first ever class. “It’s like I’m a mom to 21

kids.”

Additional reporting and

editing by Chloe Peter

Right: Two fourth grade students interview Ms. Gottschalk about how she came to Maxfield Elementary in her classroom. The two were a part of the first class Ms. Gottschalk ever taught. | Photo by Molly Korzenowski

K’vyona

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORT?

Soccer

WHAT WOULD YOUR DREAM VACATION BE?

To go live in China for a while

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?

Dog-Man

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO ON RAINY DAYS?

Watch movies like Good Burger

WHAT DO YOU DO DURING RECESS? Go on the tire swing

SALTY OR SWEET?

Sweet

Juri

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORT?

Gymnastics

WHAT WOULD YOUR DREAM VACATION BE?

Hawaii because I could do Hawaii dances and relax in the sun.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?

Junie B. Jones

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO ON RAINY DAYS?

I like to draw.

WHAT DO YOU DO DURING RECESS?

I like to make up dances with friends.

SALTY OR SWEET?

Both