Submitted Photo Kristi Reinke, a social studies teacher at Jim Hill Middle School, is the state teacher of the year.

Kristi Reinke, a social studies teacher at Jim Hill Middle School, said in an emailed interview that she is honored to have been named the State Teacher of the Year last month.

“It is very humbling to be named ND Teacher of the Year,” she said. “I have so many co-workers and teacher friends that are amazing teachers and any one of them could be given this very same honor!”

Reinke was chosen after an eight-member selection committee interviewed the four finalists and selected her. Reinke is now a candidate for the national Teacher of the Year award, which is named by the Council of Chief State School Officers in Washington, D.C. The organization typically names four finalists in January and the national Teacher of the Year honoree in the spring.

“As part of the ND TOY program, I will have the responsibility of representing the teaching profession in North Dakota, whether it is for the service organizations, the ND legislature, the NDDPI or even just the community. There could be opportunities for me to present at workshops and conferences and, hopefully, take part in teacher forums and conversations on how to improve education. The beauty of this program is that there is flexibility for me to choose the path I feel is best for me,” said Reinke.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed things for Reinke as it has for all teachers in the state. Some teachers in the district have been teaching students who opted for the distance-learning option, but Reinke is teaching in a face-to-face setting. At the middle grade level, Reinke explained, one content teacher teaches one to two classes of distance learning students at this time in addition to the three to four face-to-face classes. The Minot Public School District uses Google Classroom as its distance learning platform, and at Jim Hill, students have been issued Chromebooks, though several schools and grade levels in the district have not yet received the Chromebooks. Reinke said that shortage has been a struggle for many teachers in the district who are trying to minimize their usage of worksheets and keep following safety protocols in the classroom.

All teachers were required to teach via distance learning last spring and they learned what worked and what didn’t, said Reinke. She said not much explicit teaching was able to happen since everyone was so new to Google Meets. Now they are becoming expert on online delivery and can teach the same content to their students in a face-to-face or distance learning setting.

“Content-wise, not much as changed for me. I have always taught mostly paperless so the transition has gone very well in my classroom,” said Reinke. “Emotionally, it has changed a lot. Even as a middle schoolers, students love the high-fives and the connection that they get with their peers and teachers. Keeping the students physically spread out and not having as many cooperative activities available to them, I can feel their energy depleting at times. Teachers are doing everything we can to help keep their spirits up.”

Reinke said she plans to use the pandemic as a topic in the classes she teaches.

“At this time in my geography class, we are catching up on the basics (like we do every new school year) but we will definitely be using the pandemic as a study tool,” she said. “It fits perfectly in my wheelhouse of teaching physical geography and it will be a great way to cover topics like charts and graphs which are part of the ND State Standards. Also, we cover a lot of current events in my class and as we know, the topic is reported on daily.”

Reinke, like other teachers, is striving to stay connected with her students and fellow teachers and juggle family and work responsibilities at such a challenging time.

“I have always prided myself on the connections I make with my students, and this year I will make sure it is no different,” she said. “We have been so lucky that we are able to teach face to face so we get to know each other’s personalities. One thing that I do to make sure I get to know all my students is I replace ‘here’ at attendance with a question that I ask them. I already know their favorite hobby, vacation destination, candy bar, restaurant, Starbucks drink, etc. I think when students realize you have a genuine interest in getting to know them, they respond so much better.

“I have to tell you, I would not survive if it wasn’t for my teacher friends right now. It is so nice to have people to talk to that are going through the same situation you are. We are constantly checking in with each other, and we are relying on each other to help out in a pinch more than we ever have.

“Making time for our own family is often a struggle for teachers so it is something we have to make as a priority. Having our kids come into our classrooms and help set up before school starts has been a tradition for many teachers, but this year no kids were allowed in the building so it was strange coming back and not having our little helpers. This year teachers aren’t allowed to go to our students’ sports events and that has been hard for me because I love watching my students out ‘in the real world,’ but for now, I will count my lucky stars that I still get to go to my own children’s activities.”