KSEE - Educator of the Week » Educator Stories

Educator of the Week: Mandi Engelbert

By KSEE News
January 23, 2012 Updated Jan 20, 2012 at 8:09 PM PDT

"Here's what I want you to do...I want you to actually read the directions."

Mandi Engelbert's direction to teaching wasn't exactly direct. This former swimmer and lifeguard almost went to law school. But in the end, teaching became her passion.

"I did not re-invent the wheel. I simply took from the best and made it my own. I give the teachers I work with full credit for where I am today, because without them and their help and their support and my administrative support, I would not be the teacher I am today."

Ms. Engelbert teaches three 2-hour sessions of History and English Language Arts to 7th graders at Alta Sierra. She's known for her creative approach to learning, especially when it comes to History.

"Whether that be for an african folktale project where they create puppets to demonstrate what they've learned....or they pretend they're living in medieval china and they write to me and tell me what they're seeing."

"This is a good website for you guys to keep in mind when you are going to start your projects next week."

Ms. Engelbert's students all use computers. The internet, put to good use here. She encourages out of the box thinking, and fun.

"She makes it easy for us. Not like, give the answers kinda easy but she makes it fun for you, to want to learn and do well."

"I'd like to thank her for caring, for caring that I'm actually learning and what I'm doing."

In the end, it's clear, Ms. Engelbert cares.

"If you don't show a student that you care about them and that they're just a number, they're not going to give you the effort."

Mandi Engelbert has been teaching 7th grade for eleven years now. She's also taught High School and Special Ed classes during her career.

If you'd like to nominate someone to be our Educator of the Week, it's easy! Just go to our website, KSEE24.com. Then, click on community, then submission. Tell us why your choice should be educator of the week!

Every week, the winning teacher and her classroom will receive a $124 gift certificate from GW School Supply. They'll also get their names engraved on a brick on the 'Teacher and Friends of Education Honor Wall', at Fresno State's Kremen School of Education.

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