“A Very Noble Profession”
Being 10 years old isn’t always easy. It’s a period marked by transitions: no longer young enough to be a “little kid,” not old enough to be a teenager. Schoolwork becomes more focused, and middle school is just around the corner. Fifth-graders are old enough to have opinions, but still young enough to go play at recess each day. Helping children navigate this in-between space has become Angie Braegger’s career-defining passion.
“Fifth grade is all I’ve ever taught,” she said. “It’s all I want to teach.”
As a fifth-grader herself, Braegger remembers being amazed by her legally blind teacher. “She was magic,” Angie said. “To this day, I still haven’t figured out how she knew everything that was going on in our classroom! She was also one of my hardest elementary school teachers; she really pushed me. But it was because of her that I realized, ‘I want to do this someday.’”
Nine years into her career, Braegger says it was the right decision. “I love fifth grade,” she smiled. “I love that they are old enough to start making connections with the world outside of themselves. They begin to understand that the things other people do affect them, and the things they do affect others.”
Beyond cultivating their growing minds, Braegger is practical about her students’ ages and developmental stages. “Being ten years old and being asked to sit still all the time is not an easy task!” she noted. “I try to give them lots of opportunities to move and take brain breaks.”
Students working at their desks can be seen bouncing their legs against a large elastic strapped to their desk, standing up to work in groups, and enjoying a snack as they work on math problems.
“School should challenge them,” she shared, “but it should also be fun!”
One of the greatest ways Braegger connects with her students is through books. “Reading is my favorite hobby,” she smiled. “I probably read about 100 books a year. I tell my class at the beginning of the year that one of my primary goals as a fifth-grade teacher is to help them learn to read well. My hope is always that they discover a genuine love for reading.”
Reading “Keeper of the Lost Cities” to her students has become an annual tradition, and one that helps Braegger connect with even her hardest-to-reach students.
“Sometimes that ten or fifteen minutes of reading aloud is the one time during the day where a student is completely locked in, focused, and right there with me,” she shared. “If a few chapters a day is what it takes to get them connected and feeling a part of the class, I will gladly do that every single day.”
Despite the inevitable challenges that come with school, Braegger tries to share a positive perspective with her students.
“I try to channel my inner "Anne of Green Gables",” she smiled, “‘Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it.’ It's a clean slate for both the students and me, and we just start over. I focus my energy on showing up for them, on making sure my classroom is a safe, reliable environment for them, even if they don't have that anywhere else.”
This commitment endears her to her colleagues as well. Principal Joseph Johnson was all praise when asked about her.
“Angie is an invaluable asset to everyone at White Pine,” he shared. “She has an unwavering and personalized approach to education. She gives her all every single day, consistently searching for new and exciting ways to teach and meet the individual needs of each student so they are eager to learn.”
White Pine is fortunate to have such a compassionate, dedicated educator. Perhaps another quote borrowed from “Anne of Green Gables” summarizes her best:
"I would call it a worthy purpose to be a teacher like her, wouldn't you?" — Anne Shirley