Teacher of the Month: Angie Melgaard | Video

Evan Kruegel | 9/5/2012

Families from all over the country are flocking to Williams County, creating an interesting situation for teachers whose students have differing abilities. But for Teacher of the Month winner Angie Melgaard, it`s not an issue at all. Instead, she uses the diversity as a useful tool for her classroom.

"One of the things that I feel I do a really good job with, is letting the kids know that I care about them, that their personal lives matter to me, along with where they come from. The kids that I`m teaching these days are coming from all over the country, and I find that very exciting. And so I like to have them share their experiences with us in the classroom and bring as much in as they can."

Melgaard likes to use hands-on activities to create interesting learning situations for her students. It`s not uncommon for the sixth-grade teacher to combine multiple subject matters into one assignment.

"It`s important to cross things over so that the kids see relations between things. We were on a leaf hunt this week and that was fun, when we came back we did some science so that the kids could classify leaves into different groups, and then we did some art rubbings of them. The conversations that were going on with the artwork while bringing the science into it were absolutely fun. That`s what makes my job the best."

Student`s in Melgaard`s class say her approachable demeanor is her best quality.

"If she sees that you are struggling, she`ll just come and help you, no questions asked," said Caleb Usher.

"I think the kids can tell that I love kids. That`s pretty much the most important thing for a teacher, that you really enjoy what you do. And I love to learn myself, so it`s easy," said Melgaard.

As rural schools continue to grow, Melgaard says she`ll do her best to make sure her classroom stays interesting.

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