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May 4, 2008 11:14 pm US/Central
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Hopkins Educator Minnesota's Teacher of the Year
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (AP) ―
Carleen Gulstad, who teaches 8th and 9th grade language arts at Hopkins North Junior High School, was named Minnesota's Teacher of the Year on Sunday.
Gulstad said in an interview that she tries to see each student as an individual.
"Every kid counts. Every kid has a story. And every kid has value," she said.
The Teacher of the Year honor is awarded annually by the teachers union Education Minnesota, which cited her commitment to teaching students good communication skills as well as how to interact positively in a diverse and changing world.
Gulstad said she tries to make each period fun, and give all students in her class something meaningful and relevant to their lives. She said she emphasizes to her students such skills as critical thinking, accepting people who are different from them and using their talents to the best of their abilities.
All of the literature her school teaches to 8th graders has to do with how human beings relate to others, she said, and the topics include Jim Crow segregation, the Holocaust and the disabled.
"It's really a great way to teach character to our kids," Gulstad said.
Gulstad said Hopkins schools emphasize culturally responsive teaching.
"What that means is learning about the cultures of our kids, and celebrating those cultures and emphasizing the gifts they bring to our community," she said.
Gulstad, who lives in Maple Grove, has been teaching for 14 years. The 36-year-old is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead and got her masters from St. Mary's University. She first taught in the Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton district, and has taught in Hopkins since 1999.
"Her talent in tapping the strengths of every individual student with the goal of building a collaborative, responsive classroom is remarkable," Principal Pat Schmidt wrote in a letter of recommendation.
Gulstad will serve as a spokeswoman for teachers and teaching in Minnesota, and will be Minnesota's nominee for National Teacher of the Year for 2009.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)