Submitted Photo Trisha Schaefer is Minot’s Teacher of the Year.

Trisha Schaefer, a sixth grade mathematics teacher at Erik Ramstad Middle School, was named the Minot Education Association Teacher of the Year at an assembly on Monday.

Schaefer said it is a great honor and she knows many other teachers in the district are also deserving of such an award.

This will be Schaefer’s 20th year as a teacher but only her fourth year as a math teacher. Schaefer began her career as a music teacher, teaching for a year in Arizona and then in the Makoti, Ryder and Plaza school district for a couple of years before she was hired by the Minot school district. She said she taught for a year at Jim Hill Middle School and also for a number of years at Bel Air Elementary before she moved to Ramstad, just before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Schaefer, who is also a Minot High School and Minot State University graduate, said she switched specialties because it was time to do something a little bit different.

“Honestly, I was just looking to challenge myself and try something new,” said Schaefer.

She loved teaching her students as a music educator but wanted to see them more regularly and get to see them change and learn from day to day and build relationships.

Schaefer’s husband, Luke, is executive director of the Central Regional Education Association. They have two children, a daughter who attends Central Campus and a son at Ramstad. Schaefer said she has never taught either of her own two children.

Schaefer said she really likes trying different things in the classroom to help students learn best.

She has been inspired by something she read recently to try some new things this year. Her classroom will include more collaboration and she will encourage students to build on their own learning and help them develop a deeper understanding of mathematics.

Sixth graders will find themselves working together, doing more problem solving and taking more notes to help their “future forgetful selves” remember a skill they have been taught.

Schaefer said she also makes use of little chants and rhymes to help kids remember math facts. She said there is a lot of math in music too, right down to counting beats and staying in rhythm.

Schaefer said she and her fellow teachers have been doing their best for kids during what has been a challenging few years, putting in both the hard work and the “heart work.”

Schaefer is grateful for the recognition as Teacher of the Year and said all teachers appreciate support. She said it really helps teachers when parents are engaged and reach out to let teachers know they’re doing a good job.

“Those small words of appreciation go a long way sometimes,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to reach out to the teachers in your life and say thank you.”