New teachers at Bigfork schools bring youth, energy

By FAITH MOLDAN / Bigfork Eagle

While Becky Dietsch, Nancy Easley and Kelsey Jensen are new to Bigfork Elementary and Middle School, the three teachers are enjoying their time at the school working with fellow staff members and of course the students.

Dietsch, Bigfork Elementary and Middle School's art teacher, is familiar with the role of teacher, as she has been a substitute, taught a college course and after-school program.

Walk into her classroom recently, and you'd see brightly colored "Dia de los Muertos" (Day of the Dead) decorations and artwork hanging around the room, as well as a skeleton.

While teaching the elements and principles of design to her students, Dietsch tries to tap into what the students are learning in other classrooms. She used the skeleton to teach her students to think of and learn what is under a person's skin and muscle, in hopes of helping them draw a better human figure. The Spanish aspect of the Dia de lost Muertos art brought culture and language into the art room, and when one fourth-grade class recently learned about the ocean in its science class, Dietsch had them draw and paint sea creatures.

"I've always had a love for art and teaching," Dietsch said. Teaching art seemed like the perfect way to combine her loves, she said.

The college course Dietsch taught was an art education course for elementary teachers. She has also taught a ceramics class.

"I've had a lot of good teachers, Dietsch said as to how she became interested in teaching. She now teaches art to 390 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

"It's a lot of kids," she said. She manages the heavy load with the help of a six-day rotation that alternates the days the older students receive art instruction. "I've been surprised," she said about how well her first year is going. "I've always heard it was the scariest year." Dietsch said the helpful staff in the elementary and middle school has helped ease any troubles.

A graduate of Central Washington University, Dietsch said she enjoys seeing young students make connections in her classroom, trying new things and finding success.

Easley comes to Bigfork Elementary and Middle School after teaching for two years in Beaverton, Ore. The computers instructor in Bigfork, she previously taught first grade. When she's not teaching students, Easley tries to find time to fix computer problems that spring up on any of the school's 100-plus computers.

She decided when she began pursuing her master's degree, that she didn't want just a basic teaching degree. Easley decided on education technologies. The graduate of Buffalo State College in New York and Western Oregon, Easley began her first-grade teaching job a year after finishing her degree.

At Bigfork, Easley teaches grades 1-8 on a variety of computer skills.

"It's quite a range," Easley said of the subject matters taught.

In grades 1-5 Easley uses software or Web sites to help students research topics they are learning about in their classroom. For instance, first graders improve on their reading skills, while fourth-grade students research and draw topics from their science class.

"They learn to use a computer as a tool," Easley said.

Easley works with the middle school counselor to combine their respective curriculums. Both the seventh and eighth grades have specific counseling projects they must complete on themselves and career choices. The students do research for these projects in Easley's classroom and use the computers as well to make a presentable finished products, such as a booklet or Power Point presentation.

"Seeing the finished projects is great," Easley said. She added that her favorite part of the job is seeing students gain independence by learning and remembering how to use the computer and different programs.

Jensen, a Flathead Valley native, applied first for a math teacher position and eventually was hired on as both math teacher and head volleyball coach. She teaches Algebra 1, Geometry and Consumer Math to grades 8-12.

"I was taking lots of math classes," Jensen said of her time at Montana Tech. Originally an architecture major, she decided to become a math teacher instead to combine her interests in both areas. Jensen transfered to Montana Tech to play collegiate volleyball. She was a member of the

Whitefish High School volleyball team during high school.

Combining her two positions has caused Jensen's schedule to be jam-packed, but she said she's had no problems.

"I've been really busy this fall," she said. "The kids are great and the staff is really supportive."

Jensen, who taught half days of 7th and 8th-grade math last year in Whitefish, said some of her favorite things about working at the school are the helpful and kind coworkers and small class sizes.

"The small classes allow more one-on-one time with students," Jensen said. She added that the students in Bigfork have been easy to work with, as she has not encountered any discipline problems but only eager, well-behaved students.