Walk into Mrs. Schroeder’s classroom at Wilderness Oak Elementary and you will find more than desks and books. You will find a space that feels like home. Bright pillows line a cozy carpet area. Wobble stools and rolling chairs give students freedom to learn in ways that feel comfortable. Laughter echoes as rhymes and silly raps turn tricky math lessons into something unforgettable.
For the past eight years at Wilderness Oak, and more than twenty years total in the classroom, Mrs. Schroeder has built a reputation as the teacher who makes learning joyful. Her students know she believes in them. Parents see how she sparks motivation with encouragement and creative challenges. And in every lesson she teaches, she is guiding children not only to master academics but also to grow in confidence and curiosity.
Her path to the classroom began long before she earned her teaching degree. Growing up, she was surrounded by educators. Her father taught agriculture and her mother taught preschool. She remembers playing school with her cousins just for fun, lining up her dolls and little sister to “teach” them everything she had learned that day. Her sister, who went on to be valedictorian, still credits those childhood lessons. Teaching was never just an idea for Mrs. Schroeder, it was a calling that lived in her from the start.
What she loves most is the spark in a child’s eyes when understanding finally clicks. “To see them excited and eager to learn something new is such a gift,” she says. For her, teaching is more than academics. It is watching a journey of growth unfold as students discover not only math and reading but also their own strength and resilience.
Her classroom is a place where motivation feels like play. A math challenge might turn into a friendly competition with prizes for persistence as much as accuracy. A tricky multiplication concept might suddenly be remembered forever through a rap or rhyme that has the whole room laughing. “My teacher thought I was smarter than I was, so I was,” she likes to remind her students. That mindset is the foundation of her teaching philosophy. Let children know they are capable, and they will rise higher than they imagined.
The environment she creates reflects that belief. Instead of rigid rows of desks, her students choose from exercise balls, wobble stools, rolling chairs, and a large carpet where they can stretch out with pillows and lap desks. It feels less like a classroom and more like a family room, and that is exactly how she wants it. “We spend so much of our day together,” she says, “it needs to feel like home.”
That sense of home also extends to the way she views gratitude. To her, gratitude is not about perfection. It is about noticing the good, showing grace on hard days, and working toward something a little bit better every day. “Gratitude is authenticity and intention,” she explains. “We do not always have it together, but together we have it all.”
Her students and their families have shown that same spirit of gratitude back to her in countless ways. Parents send cards and messages, invite her to games and recitals, and surprise her with thoughtful gifts. One year her classroom was decorated from floor to ceiling for her birthday. She treasures those memories, but more than anything she is grateful that families trust her with their children every day. “That is the best gift of all,” she says.
Of course, teaching is not without its challenges. There are long days and difficult moments, but her motivation never wavers. What keeps her joyful is seeing her students succeed. Some cannot wait until Monday to share their victories and ask their parents to message her over the weekend. Whether it is a math breakthrough or a fun adventure, they want her to be part of their lives beyond the classroom. That connection reminds her daily why she teaches. “It is really all about relationships,” she says with a smile.
When asked what she wishes others knew about teaching, she describes it as being much like parenting. There are days filled with laughter and love, and days filled with challenges, but you would never trade it for anything else. “Teaching is like mom-ing,” she says. “There are long days, there are hard days, and there are days filled with laughter and love, but no matter what the day brings, you could not imagine yourself doing anything else because you love the little rascals.”
That love is what students carry with them long after they leave her classroom. Once you are a Schroeder kid, you are always a Schroeder kid. In her room, mistakes are not failures, they are stepping stones. Gratitude is not just a word for November, it is a way of living together every single day.
As our community pauses this month to give thanks, we celebrate teachers like Mrs. Schroeder whose influence goes far beyond lesson plans. She is a reminder that gratitude is not only found at the Thanksgiving table. Sometimes it is found in a classroom filled with joy, in a teacher’s steady belief, and in the light of a child’s eyes..
Mrs. Schroeder has been teaching for 21 years, including the past eight at Wilderness Oak Elementary. Known for her joyful spirit and creative classroom, she believes learning should feel like home. Her students know they are cared for, challenged, and celebrated, and she proudly says, “Once a Schroeder kid, always a Schroeder kid.”
Teaching is like mom-ing. There are long days and hard days, but you could not imagine doing anything else because you love the little rascals.