Moorhead Teacher of the Year focuses on early literacy
February 17, 2015
Pam Kiser’s goal as a teacher is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for all students to learn.
“I want every student to come through the door each morning feeling confident, knowing their classroom is a safe place to be risk-takers as learners,” Kiser said. “They will know that any attempt will be validated and encouraged. I want to develop trust through showing mutual respect and always want students to feel they are successful learners.”
Kiser, a first-grade teacher and early literacy support, at Robert Asp Elementary School, has been named the 2015 Moorhead Teacher of the Year.
Kiser always wanted to be a teacher, which began with playing school with her sister and admiring her dad and two aunts, who are lifelong educators. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Minnesota State University Moorhead and is currently pursuing her master’s in curriculum and instruction from MSUM.
She began working in the district as a paraprofessional at Riverside Elementary in 1992. Kiser moved to Thomas Edison Elementary in 1994 were she was a Title I teacher, Reading Recovery teacher, first-grade teacher and third-grade teacher. She moved to Robert Asp Elementary in 2004, teaching third grade and first grade before taking her current position in 2012.
“Through each of these positions I was continually learning and adjusting my thinking to be the best teacher I could, to meet the needs of the students,” Kiser said. “All my experience and training challenged me to think deeper and apply my knowledge to each new position I had.”
According to Chris Triggs, principal at Robert Asp Elementary, Kiser has been an excellent teacher at Robert Asp. “Her versatility is due to her tremendous background in literacy instruction and strength in relating to students,” he said.
Kiser has had training for Reading Recovery, Literacy Collaborative, Leveled Literacy Intervention and AVMR (AddVantage Math Recovery). She is co-chair of the building literacy committee, and she has served on the building leadership team and as the building Education Moorhead membership representative.
According to Triggs, Kiser’s classrooms are characterized by a strong emphasis in written language and use of writing across all areas of the curriculum, as well as a strong link between reading and writing.
“She has demonstrated effective practices in reading instruction and has accelerated students who entered her class below grade level in reading and ended at or above grade level,” he said.
Kiser sees teaching as teamwork and appreciates the support of mentors she has worked with through the years.
“We are all on the same team teaching the love of learning,” she said. “I have always been supported by strong grade-level teams that were willing to go above and beyond by sharing, collaborating and planning together. Sharing the same teaching philosophy with a grade-level team is an amazing support system.”
The Education Moorhead Communications Committee selected Kiser as Moorhead's Teacher of the Year because of the contributions she has made to the students, parents, and staff of Robert Asp Elementary School, as well as the Moorhead Area Public Schools.
“She is truly devoted to her students, demonstrates a willingness to serve on numerous extracurricular activities, teaches EXCEL after school, and also finds time to volunteer in our community,” the committee said in a statement.
Other candidates for Teacher of the Year were Sara Thronson, early childhood special education teacher for Early Intervention Services; Jamie York, fifth-grade teacher at Ellen Hopkins Elementary; Janelle Halverson, music teacher at Reinertsen Elementary; Christine Berg, eighth-grade science teacher at Horizon Middle School; and Brian Olmanson, mathematics teacher at Moorhead High School. Watch for profiles on these Teacher of the Year building representatives in the coming months.
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