Hi, I’m Karen Freres, and I am blessed to be the 4th grade teacher at St. Bruno Parish School.  Through my Bachelor’s Degree I have endorsements in Reading, Language Arts, and Social Science.  I also have a Master of Science Degree in Reading and Reading Remediation.  I have been a teacher for 12 years, and in that time I have been honored with such recognitions as the Herb Kohl Fellowship Award for Teaching Excellence, and the Sauk Valley Newspaper Regional Favorite Teacher Award.  Prior to teaching I worked as the Public Relations representative for Northwestern Steel and Wire Company in Sterling, Illinois.

        I believe the role of the teacher is to facilitate learning and inspire students to seek knowledge.  In my class we explore, investigate, take virtual trips, and use project based learning, such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to deepen our learning adventures.  I believe that by making each lesson meaningful and fun, students will develop a love for learning.  Therefore, in a visit to my classroom, you will see us singing, cheering, exploring, investigating, and having fun learning in a safe environment.  Realizing the individual differences of each student, I accommodate these differences by presenting information in a variety of ways including offering visual materials and hands-on experiences for the visual learner; incorporating music or providing activities for the auditory learner; and setting up activities and projects for the kinesthetic learner.  I structure my class so that each child can reach his or her own level of potential.  My students’ needs are my top priority.  My background allows me to remediate those who need extra help, as well as provide opportunities for those children who are prepared for a higher degree of learning.  Finally, as a Catholic educator, one of the most important goals that I have for the children is to help them deepen their relationship with God.  I do this by working to set a good example in my own faith.  God is always at the center of everything we do.  As a Christian community, we learn to respect and help each other as we grow socially and academically.