Brouwer retires after 37 years of teaching in District 518 schools

Jun. 6—WORTHINGTON — After teaching for 37 years, Chris Brouwer hasn't really decided yet what she'll do after retirement, but she does have some ideas.

"Everybody always says 'Don't commit to things the first year,'" she said.

As a Stampin' Up demonstrator, she wants to teach a few classes during the day at some local venues, and she's also planning to work on her cooking skills, an interest she found anew during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brouwer taught third grade English learners at the Intermediate School in Worthington, where she worked with small groups of students for 20 or 30 minutes at a time, helping them build their vocabulary, writing skills and English skills. Often, her work supports what the kids are learning in their classrooms, and she helps by pre-teaching what's ahead for them and re-teaching what they've already learned for better comprehension.

Many people are surprised to learn that most of her students were actually born in Worthington, and while they can speak conversational English, they need a boost in academic English — the vocabulary, syntax and writing skills that allow them to flourish in school.

Brouwer sees about 40 students per school day in small groups, and she also goes into two classrooms once a day to work with the whole class.

She doesn't speak Spanish, but she can modify, rephrase or break English sentences or words into smaller pieces, bring in pictures or exhibits to support the topics students are learning about or remind them of things they've learned before.

Many of her students are already multilingual, in languages that range from Spanish to Amharic, Oromo, K'iche' and Mam, an indigenous language spoken in Guatemala.

Before she came to Worthington, Brouwer taught in rural Wisconsin and rural Colorado, and at that point she didn't even really know what ESL was. When she began at Worthington, she had a few English learner students, and was intrigued. After trading jobs with another teacher for a year, both she and the other teacher enjoyed their new work so much they never even discussed trading back.

"What I like is small groups, and I like to focus on one subject," Brouwer said. "And (the kids are) sponges, they learn so quickly."

That doesn't mean she doesn't spend any time in other subject areas, though. She helps students with their math as well, particularly on the vocabulary side of it. Most of Brouwer's time goes toward written language, however, and particularly on comprehension.

During her 37 years of teaching, Brouwer has seen many students, and many changes, too, particularly in the realm of technology. At one point, she remembered, her classroom had an Apple IIe computer in it, which students could use to play ABC Caterpillar.

Another change is in the students themselves, who don't always seem to know quite why they came to school in the first place.

"Nine-year-olds have a hard time grasping the concept of 'This is all new, and when you leave, we would like you to know it,'" Brouwer explained.

In other ways, though, the kids haven't changed at all.

"Kids are still kids. They still want hugs, they still giggle, they still get their feelings hurt. They still tattle, they still want friends," she said. "Kids have learned how to deal with disappointment in a different way."

Parents, too, come in for conferences just as they used to, though now most of them work and aren't able to spend time volunteering in the classroom like parents did in previous decades.

Brouwer praised the team of teachers and staff she's worked with, many of whom have been together for a significant period of time.

"It makes work fun when you're working with a team you like," Brouwer said. "Not everybody gets to go to work with people that they like. That will make it hard to leave."

She encouraged others interested in becoming a teacher to do it.

"You won't be disappointed. The work is hard, but the rewards are many," she said. "I've just met so many wonderful people throughout the years."