WESTMINSTER : A Special Teacher Unifies Her Class

When Marianne Stjern walked into her classroom at Webber Elementary School for the first time last September, she thought she had entered her worst nightmare.

It was chaos, with the children out of control and not showing any respect for their Swedish-born teacher, who was in charge of a fifth grade in the United States for the first time. At the end of that disastrous day, a dispirited Stjern marched to Principal Richard Weaver’s office and quit.

But Weaver and district administrators had a special feeling about Stjern and persuaded her to give the class another try.

“When I hire teachers, I look for people who have that spark, who are excited and have a love of teaching and I saw that in Marianne,” said Barbara Winars, assistant superintendent of personnel services. “She has tremendously high standards, and she was unsure that she could do a good job. But I knew she was the best thing that could have happened to those kids.”

Now, seven months later, Stjern, 36, has proven Winars’ instincts correct as she now presides over what she describes as a controlled, although still energetic, group of students. She said the turning point came in December when she taught the melting pot of Latino, Vietnamese and Caucasian children a Swedish Christmas song called “Santa Lucia.”

“That’s when we really got together,” Stjern said, her Swedish accent still apparent after eight years in the United States. “We had a special bond because we all knew Swedish. After that, I was excited to come back in January and begin the second half of the year.”

Stjern wondered during Christmas vacation how she could build on the momentum she had gained in order to further unify the class, which had a tendency to divide into racial cliques.

That opportunity came when the 34 students began their study of the United States. As a way to help the children remember where the states were, Stjern had them begin work on a giant, quilt-like map that was completed just last week.

The colorful quilt is the focal point of the portable classroom where Stjern and her students spend their day. With its plethora of colors and designs, it is a symbol of their unity and continues to serve as a learning tool.

“During recess or at lunch, some of the kids will come into the classroom and quiz each other on the states on their own time,” Stjern said. “It’s fun for them and it’s good for me to see them so excited about learning.”

Paula Ramos, 10, proudly said that she was the first student to remember the locations of all 50 states. Ramos, her dark brown hair in a braid, smiled shyly when asked about her popular teacher.

“I think she’s just so nice and so funny,” Paula said. “She tells us about where she used to live and she has a really neat accent.”

Mike Smith, 10, said the students like Stjern because she has made learning fun.

“She thinks different from any other teacher I’ve had,” Mike said. “She makes every subject, even math and spelling, fun. She’s really smart and artistic too.”

Adjusting to the education system in the United States has been difficult for Stjern. In Sweden, teachers get a fourth-grade class and follow it for three years. Then, they follow the same students in one subject for three years after that. Stjern wishes she could spend a similar length of time with her present students, instead of only one year.

“Now, I know these kids,” Stjern said, “I have them where I want them only to have to let them go.”