Children's books

are in her future

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM - When the last school bell of the year rings on Thursday, Nancy Besse will have reached the end of another phase in her life.

She's retiring from her third-grade teaching post at Jefferson Elementary School and is looking to get back to earlier passions after 12 years of lesson plans, discipline, homemade Christmas gifts and basic skills tests.

Besse, a former Journal reporter, now wants to pursue a wider range of interests. She is leaving Jefferson Elementary because she wants to have time to seek out those interests while she's still young enough to enjoy them.

"Teaching is full of surprises. You never know what's going to happen. I consider it to be more of an art than a science," Besse said.

A typical school day begins at 7:30 a.m. Students arrive at 8. Besse's students typically head off to music class and then gym class. Then it's a prep hour, followed by math, a milk break, recess, reading, language arts, lunch, then another recess. Then it's time to read a book before the last lesson of the day, science, is finished at 2:45 p.m.

Besse usually has her students all day. She says she prefers that format, rather than having children constantly moving from classroom to classroom because it allows her to become more involved with each child. Some of the most gratifying things about teaching is seeing students getting involved with learning and understanding certain concepts in science and math, she said.

Third grade is a tough year because the Curriculum gets harder and a student's skills often come into play, which can be stressful, she said. The third grade can also be an anxious time because of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, which measure reading and math skills in third graders.

After school, Besse, like most teachers, spends time grading papers, attending meetings and sometimes meeting with parents. The new math Curriculum the district implemented two years ago also poses challenges, she said.

But now, there'll be plenty of time to do like Besse's parents did; take time to smell the roses.

Besse, a native of Lee's Summit, Mo., didn't take a straight line to New Ulm. She originally enrolled in the University of Missouri as a journalism student and transferred to Colorado State University, where she decided on a double major in journalism and education. She lived in Alaska before moving to Minnesota. She came to work for The Journal in 1980, covering education and features. She left the newspaper in 1984 to work as the communications director for District 88. She transferred into teaching third grade in 1992.

Besse originally wanted to write about the outdoors and would like to combine that interest with writing and a passion for kids. Besse plans to freelance as a writer of children's non-fiction books about animals. She also wants to travel to places like the southwestern United States, Iceland and Denmark, since she's half Danish. She would also like to do some more reading, since she's often tired after school is done for the day. Gardening is another hobby she would like to indulge. She is also a grandmother.

"Towards the end of the year the class is almost like a family," she said. "The kids kind of look out for one another so there's companionship and a support system."

Now that she's retiring, Besse has a stack of 22 letters and drawings her class gave her, enscribed with thank-you's and hopes that she'll have a good time being free. She said the drawings and handmade gifts students give her are some of her favorite things. She once received a Siamese fighting fish for a Christmas present from a student.

"It doesn't matter what the present is, it's the thought behind it," she said.