The Day of Fifth Grade Teacher, Kate Bretschneider
By Elizabeth Furstenau
Have you ever wondered what spending a day in your old elementary classroom would be like? I certainly have. Back in 2018, I first set foot in the fifth-grade classroom. My teacher was Mrs. Kate Bretschneider. I remember the days I spent learning social studies and reading books for AR. Being up on the hill for the past five years, I have put the elementary days behind me. I always thought to myself what it would be like to head back to my old school. That is exactly what I decided to do.
Bretschneider has been teaching fifth grade at Pierce for seven years now. Her first class she taught consisted of the class of 2026, my class. Now that she has been teaching at Pierce for a while, her teaching methods and classroom management have changed. Spending the day and observing how she goes about teaching now brings back memories from the easiest days of my life, where my biggest worries were memorizing the fifty states and their capitols.
Bretschneider starts her day with the usual teacher obligations: attendance, lunch count, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Unlike other teachers, Bretschneider plays a song each morning for the students to listen to as well. This was always one of my favorite routines when I was in the fifth grade. By the time Christmas break hit, I had the lyrics to “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood memorized.
Bretschneider has many of the decorations and classroom essentials that my class used in 2018. The infamous mailboxes still hold their place on the counter. It was always a struggle to put your homework in the correct slot. Occasionally, I would lose my homework or find my classmates’ work in my mailbox.
Another item that has not changed in her classroom is the cups and sticks used for lunch count. This was and continues to be the first task when stepping into the classroom. Being the one responsible for counting the sticks always seemed to be enjoyable. That feeling of helpfulness rushes over you.
Rewinding to the fifty states and capitols test I took, the students must take the same test, but now, the capitols are not required. Bretschneider claims my class was the first and only to complete the capitols test along with the states test. She saves pictures from each of her classes, and one of the pictures was of us trying to pinpoint which capitol went with each state. This year’s fifth graders also do this. No one walks up one by one. Instead, they crowd around the map, hoping for their chance to find the answer. As seen in the photo, this is the same as my class.
In my free time, I would always make new art pieces for Bretschneider to hang up in her room. I had forgotten about this until she pulled out a folder full of all of the art my class and I gave to her. I must have liked pigs because the majority of them were pigs. Bretschneider saves all of her students' artwork. It meant a lot knowing that she kept each silly drawing I gave her.
If anyone has set foot in Mr. Brock Bretschneider’s classroom at the high school, they know that he has a few chairs that may seem familiar to anyone who had Bretschneider in elementary school. She still has her two bookcase-style chairs sitting next to her desk. These chairs were always the first choice when it was time to sit around the room. Now, she has two “spinny” office chairs. She draws two sticks at the beginning of the week, and those two students earn the chance to sit in the chairs for the rest of the week.
One of my favorite parts of joining Bretschneider was getting to sit in on the teacher lunches. During her lunch break, Bretschneider eats her lunch in her classroom. Mrs. Christine Peters, Mr. Grant King, Mrs. Amy Nelson, and Mrs. Molly Haselhorst join Bretschneider for lunch each day. Due to Haselhorst’s maternity leave, Mrs. Mary Zimmer has begun joining the gathering. This is the time they share stories about funny situations that occurred in the morning, what they did the night before, and more. Still being a student, this felt like breaking a rule. The welcoming arms and familiar voices convinced me that I was in the right place, making the right choice when deciding what to make my last story about.
This experience has taught me that our teachers are not all what we thought they were. Seeing this side of the teachers made me appreciate everyone who has helped me grow as a student and person. As elementary students, we always viewed our teachers as scary adults who liked to tell us what to do. In reality, they are fun to be around, and watching them teach other students proves there is nothing to be afraid of. They only want what is best for us. I always hear my classmates and other students say that once they graduate, they are out and never coming back. After writing this, I hope others reconsider their choice. Of course, graduating and leaving the past in the past seems fun and all, but the past is what shaped us into the people we are today. The people from our past play a huge role in shaping who we are. I know that when I look back on all my time at Pierce Public School, I will be grateful for those who helped me learn who I am.
So if you are one of those people who think taking a moment to stop by and remember where you started is pointless, take it from me when I say, it is worth every second.
