Teachers' Commitment to Students Inspires Parent to Teach
Interview with Stasi Benbow
– by Lauren Slagter
Stasi Benbow knew her son Jake was struggling in fifth grade. He had a difficult time learning to read, and his teacher told Benbow that Jake was falling through the cracks. The teacher pulled together a team of educators to create a personalized special education plan for Jake, drawing on instructional best practices to meet his unique learning needs. Thanks to the teachers’ commitment, Jake began earning As and Bs. He found a passion for acting and is sharpening his reading skills by reading scripts.
“It's much more than arithmetic and reading and writing. That's very important, but there's so much more that teachers bring to the development of these kids that you can't put a price on,” Benbow said.
Seeing her children’s interactions with their teachers was one in a long series of nudges that pushed Benbow toward the teaching profession.
Finding Community At School
From a young age, growing up in the Minneapolis area, a neighbor and teachers spotted Benbow’s potential as a teacher and encouraged her to consider the profession. At Chapman University in California, Benbow studied exercise science but then realized the work of an athletic trainer wasn’t a good fit for her. She added an emphasis on education to her coursework, with plans to become a physical education teacher and stay connected to her love of sports.
Life had other plans, and Benbow landed a job with the World Cup after college, which led to work in sports marketing and then commercial real estate before a stint as a stay-at-home mom. As her kids got older, Benbow became the “classroom mom” and coordinated school activities, sports, Boy Scouts, and carpooling for other families at the school.
“I was doing all that and, and loved it, and that's what started to get me more and more interested in the school. I got to learn the inner workings of the school from behind-the-scenes and as a volunteer,” she said. “It turned into a really fulfilling time and brought my attention and my passion back into the schools and teaching.”
Creating a Path for New Teachers
Benbow reached out to her children’s principal to talk about her options for teaching. Her family lived in Washington at the time, where obtaining a teaching license would have required a two-year, full-time program.
Instead, Benbow got a substitute teaching credential and started teaching middle school classes. She continued substitute teaching for nearly five years before her family moved to Minnetonka.
The teaching licensing process is an important aspect of maintaining the high standards of the profession, but it also can present barriers for people looking to change careers. Grow Your Own initiatives recruit new teachers from within schools and create a path for parent volunteers like Benbow, other staff members, and graduating high school seniors to become teachers.
Visit www.elevateteaching.us to learn more about Minnesota’s teacher licensing process and how to become a teacher. Email Yes@ElevateTeaching.US to see how you can get involved in the Elevate Teaching movement as a champion for the teaching profession.
