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    Hello and welcome to first grade!  My name is Kate Mabel and I will be your student's first grade teacher.
     
    The 2020-21 school year is my 18th year in Anoka-Hennepin and my seventh year at Monroe.  Before Monroe I taught media for one year at Crooked Lake, second grade for one year at Johnsville, and first grade for six years at Johnsville.  I was also a literacy specialist, supplemental programs, and Reading Recovery teacher at Adams for three years.  I am a lifelong learner and I love teaching because I get to learn with my students every day.  I enjoy challenges, thinking creatively, and problem solving.  Learning alongside students and colleauges at a STEM school is a good fit for me.
     
    I spent my growing up years in North Carolina, Texas, Kansas, and Missouri.  I moved to Minnesota for college.  I received my Bachelor’s Degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and my Master’s Degree from the University of Minnesota.  I completed my K-12 Reading Licensure coursework at the University of Minnesota and participated in the 2014 Invitational Summer Institute for the Minnesota Writing Project at the University of Minnesota.  My teaching interests include working with the individual needs of young learners and purposefully integrating reading, writing, discussion, and technology to increase student motivation and achievement in all content areas.  My goal is joyful, purposeful learning.
     
    When I’m not at school I stay busy reading, writing, gardening, walking, cooking, stitching, exploring, and volunteering.  I live in St. Paul with my husband Mark.  We have a Golden Retriever named Rosie who we love very much.
     
    My mom and dad live in St. Peter, my 95-year-old grandma lives in Atlanta, and my sister Margaret (my only sibling) lives in the Netherlands with her husband and their two kids (my only neice and nephew). 
     
    If you want to learn more about me, check out my Summer Blog for first graders.