About Me...My Feelings and Beliefs About Teaching

                Each day as I open my classroom door, I am reminded of the great responsibilities of the day that are in my hands.  As my students begin arriving, I see the faces of the future, and I eagerly welcome the task awaiting me.  With a smile on my face and the warmth of the sun in my heart, I begin the duties of my day.  Since 1971, this has been my daily journey, and I feel thankful and blessed that I am on this journey.

                My name is Marilyn Joy Larson, known by my students as “Mrs. Larson.”  The essence of my job as an educator is to teach children how to care about themselves, to respect themselves and others, and to succeed in learning.  Each day I have the opportunity and responsibility to shape the hearts and minds of my students.  My philosophy is to teach with gentleness in a trusting environment.

                I believe the positive relationships built in a classroom enhance a child’s ability to learn successfully.  A personal goal of mine is to develop positive relationships with all whose lives I touch in some way because I am a teacher.  I love to use picture books to teach children life’s lessons.  Compassion, kindness, tolerance, respect, and many values are taught through the pages of a picture book.  Understanding these values helps build relationships.

                I graduated from St. Cloud State University in August, 1971, with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and special education.  I have completed graduate coursework at several Minnesota universities, but primarily at Moorhead State and St. Cloud State.  My teaching career began in Portland, Maine, in 1971.  After returning to Minnesota in 1973, I taught in St. Cloud, Cyrus, Starbuck, Minnewaska, and presently Glacial Hills Elementary School. 

                Some of my most recent professional development has included TALL training in Teachers as Learners and Leaders Project, Renaissance training in reading, Creating Writers Through Assessment and Instruction – 6 trait trainer, and training in SMART Board technology, HORIZONS Leadership, and Northwest Evaluation.

                My husband, Darryl and I, have been married 38 years.  We live in the community of Starbuck, and enjoy the many gifts of small town living.  We have two grown children.  Our son, Jonathan and his wife Alana, live in Chamberlain, S.D., with their four daughters.  Our daughter, Joy and her husband Darin, live in Starbuck with their children, two sons and one daughter.  One of their children, Jackson, is a student at Glacial Hills.  It is a blessing to have seven beautiful grandchildren.

                My interests and hobbies include reading, singing, bowling, golfing, gardening, and getting together with family and friends.

                I am very thankful to be a member of the Glacial Hills Elementary School staff.  It is a privilege to be a part of shaping the future of children, especially in this little school with so much kindness and warmth.  Each day, together, we discover and explore the joys of learning.

"Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children."

Walt Disney