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I teach 3rd and 4th grade in the morning and am also the principal. This is my fourteenth year at Trinity and my 29th year of teaching altogether, having also served congregations in Chicago and Des Plaines, Illinois. I truly enjoy this ministry that God has led me to here at Trinity. Teaching and being an administrator certainly has its challenges, but I love a good challenge!
I attended both a Lutheran elementary school and high school and I always felt God leading me to teach in a Lutheran school.
I have a B.A. in elementary education from Concordia, River Forest, and I also did some graduate work there. My wife Janene also attended Concordia. She is currently the Director of Technology for the Sturgis Public Schools. We have three sons and our youngest, Sean, is in sixth grade at Trinity.
I was raised in suburban Chicago and my parents and brothers still live there. In my spare time I like to collect baseball cards and watch sports on TV. I am a huge Chicago Cubs fan and I hope to see them win the World Series once in my lifetime.
I am very blessed to come from a family where Lutheran education was very important. Being a Lutheran, and attending the Lutheran school (grades 1-8) was a way of life, it was part of the history of our family. My family tree is firmly anchored by strong German roots.
I was raised on the family farm a few miles outside of Decatur, Indiana. I have two wonderful parents, Don and Evelyn Grote.(Dad went to heaven several years ago.) I have two older sisters, Pam and Ellen, and an older brother, Roger. Yes, I am the "baby" of the family.
I was surrounded by a very close-knit family of grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and many cousins. We all attended the same Lutheran church and school a half-mile down the road, as my nephews and nieces do now.
Not only did the pastors and teachers have a profound impact in my school life, but also they were also frequent visitors in our home, for meals and conversation. My family appreciated them as people, as friends, not just employees of the church. They were held in very high esteem in our household and the church community. They often became part of our extended family, and many are still in contact with our family to this day.
As you can see, my elementary teachers had a huge impact on what I wanted to do with my life. I adored them. I wanted to be just like them. At the age of 8, when I was in second grade, I knew that I wanted to become a Lutheran schoolteacher. I set my sights on that goal and never looked back. My teachers, parents, relatives and pastors constantly encouraged me.
When I was six years old, my oldest sister went to Concordia Ann Arbor. My second sister followed two years later. At that time, Ann Arbor was only a two-year college, and my sisters continued their education at other Lutheran campuses in St. Paul, Minnesota, Seward, Nebraska and River Forest, Illinois. Naturally, our family made quite a few trips to see my sisters. But I had fallen in love with Ann Arbor's campus at first sight. I headed there for college after graduating from Bellmont High School.
I was called to Trinity in 1984, four days before the start of the school year. I knew that becoming a Lutheran teacher was what I was created to do.
I have never regretted that decision. I have loved being a Lutheran educator. There have been many times I have felt God's hand guiding my life's journey, circumstances have twisted and turned, yet I know this is where I am supposed to be right now.
I have been teaching at Trinity for twenty-seven years. I have many fond memories of all the special kids that I have had the honor to teach. Many of them have stayed in touch through the years. I am very proud of each and every one of them.
I have many cherished friends in Trinity's congregation. I want to give back to the Lord for the many blessings He has given to me in my life. I look forward to continuing my ministry as a Lutheran schoolteacher as long as God sees fit.
I married a "nice Lutheran boy", my husband Bryan, in 1986. He works at Syndicate Systems in Middlebury as the CAD manager. We have a wonderful son, Alex, who attended Trinity from pre-school through eighth grade. He is now a freshman at Western Michigan University.
Teachers: Mr. Paul Kosman , Mrs. Jean Kyle and Mrs. Jo Ann Balzer
- RELIGION
Using the CPH Voyages curriculum, we survey basic lessons of the Bible from Creation. . . to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. . . and the history of the New Testament churches. We see how God has unfolded his plan of salvation throughout history and brought it to us today. We apply the Bible lessons to our daily life. The children lead one of the weekly chapel services a year. Their memory work program includes the Ten Commandments, Apostles’ Creed, Lord’s Prayer, various Bible verses, and portions of the Catechism. - READING
In third grade, children practice reading many types of literature in their text, in trade books, and in units designed by the teacher. They practice oral and silent reading. They continue to practice a variety of strategies to help them recognize words and increase comprehension. They learn to recognize elements of a story. They practice finding the main idea and summarizing. They work on dictionary skills and practice study skills. The fourth grade reading program exposes the students to several genres of stories including mysteries, tall tales, fantasy, and biographies. One trade books is used during the year in addition to the regular reading book. Emphasis is placed on improving comprehension and reading with fluency and expression. Several books are read aloud to the students to model fluency and expression.
- ENGLISH
Students focus on the grammar skills of sentence structure, punctuation and capitalization, nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Instruction in these basic skills is designed to expand the students’ ability to communicate through writing. Students will learn to write for specific purposes and specific styles. Major assignments include a research paper and participation is the Young Author’s Program, in which each student creates their very own book. - SPELLING
The third and fourth graders study the spelling of words directly and indirectly. There will be a list of words to learn each week, which will follow a pattern or rule of spelling. Spelling will be guided in all writings of the student. - HANDWRITING
Continuing with the D’Nealian method, third and fourth graders work to improve the legibility of their cursive writing. Review of upper case, lower case, and letter joinings are practiced, applied and evaluated. The lessons are arranged in sequence according to similar strokes. Students use cursive writing in their daily work. - MATH
Saxon Math is used in the third and fourth grades. Each grade has a daily math meeting that reviews and reinforces calendar and time-telling skills, money, number patterns, and problem solving. Most days the students will have a homework sheet to complete. The sheet reviews concepts from previous lessons as well as material from the day's lesson. The third grade program reviews the basic addition and subtraction facts. A great deal of emphasis is placed on memorizing the multiplication facts. Other skills learned include reading and constructing charts, measuring with the customary and metric system, fractions, decimals, and geometry. The fourth graders review the basic addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts, as well as learning the division facts. Other skills learned include graphing, multiplying two and three-digit numbers, writing checks and balancing a checkbook, geometry, square roots, and an introduction to algebra. - SCIENCE
The third and fourth grade science programs focus on life science, earth science, and physical science. Study includes plants and animals, matter and energy, force and motion, and human body systems. Students also develop study skills of vocabulary and content material. They will be given opportunities to demonstrate knowledge individually, as well as in groups. - SOCIAL STUDIES
Map skills learned in previous years are reviewed and reinforced. More advanced skills are also developed. Students use these skills throughout the year as they study their world and communities. The children learn about different types and sizes of communities in different geographic regions today, as well as early Native American communities. A focus will be placed on Michigan and its history, building appreciation for the students’ state. A self-selected research project culminates the study. - COMPUTERS
Learning keyboarding skills is stressed in third and fourth grade. Different tutorial programs are used to teach keyboarding. Students are also taught basic word processing skills and use these skills to prepare papers and spelling lists. Other programs are used to reinforce reading, logical thinking, and math skills. - PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Locomotor and non-locomotor skills are reviewed and reinforced. Fitness concepts are reviewed. Teamwork, fair play, constructive competition, and leadership are also stressed. - ART
Children are encouraged to create their own unique works of art through experiences with colors, lines, shapes, patterns, textures, and designs. They have opportunities to work with a variety of media: pencils, crayons, markers, clay, paint, tissue paper, construction paper, glue, etc. The focus of art at this level is on the process, appreciating the skills of others, and taking pride in the final product. - MUSIC
The third and fourth grader will grow in their understanding of important characteristics of music such as beat, volume, and speed. Several weeks are spent learning to read music and play the recorder. They will also sing a variety of songs including hymns, fun songs, patriotic songs, holiday songs, and educational songs and participate in the school musical.