Teacher Appreciation Week: Ms. Knutson

Ms. Knutson deserves an award for not only surviving but thriving during her first year at City High. She has adapted her lessons to fit her classes and has worked hard to make sure her students are learning not only what they need to learn, but also what they want to.

“I really enjoy getting to know students more personally than just in biology class, finding out what they like and what they’re interested in,” said Knutson. “It’s always really fun for me when students tell me that they have an interest in things science-related because then I feel like I can try [to] bring up things…they’re interested in.”

Ms. Knutson is not only a great teacher, but goes above and beyond to help her students, working with them one-on-one with test corrections and analysis questions. Though she considers it the hardest part of the job, Ms. Knutson is dedicated to making her class a fun learning environment that is catered to each student. She always has fun videos from the “Amoeba Sisters” to help us review units. From studying ecosysteMs. in bottles to stuffed birds to chicken wings, her classes are always interesting.

“I think the hardest part [of teaching] is trying to please students because they’re so different. In learning styles, interests, and what they enjoy,” she said. “So trying to bring that into the classroom and trying to have a balance of different things is a challenge.”

From her first year of teaching at City High, Ms. Knutson has not just given her students a grasp of biology but learned from them too. If Ms. Knutson struggled at all adjusting to the new environment she certainly hasn’t shown it. She has adapted quickly, taking her own ideas on teaching and mixing them with concepts from her colleagues.

“It’s been a bit of a challenge, kind of learning what they’ve done in the past and merging that with what I like,” said Knutson. “I think it’s really fun to bring a new, fresh idea and merge that with other people’s really good ideas, and I think in general I’m a much better teacher because of that.”