2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year finalist Brenda Kaufmann (back row, far right) pictured in her ‘child-centered’ North Tama classroom alongside her second-grade students and paraeducator LeaAnn Cluts (back row, left) this past December shortly after the announcement went public that she was one of six finalists for the annual honor. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

ANKENY – Iowa’s top teachers of the year including North Tama’s Brenda Kaufmann joined Gov. Kim Reynolds, Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg, and Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow last Friday for the 2024 Outstanding Iowa Teachers Recognition Luncheon.

Held at the Iowa Culinary Institute at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Ankeny, the annual luncheon honored the finalists and winner of the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year as well as the awardee for the Iowa History Teacher of the Year. All finalists and winners received recognition awards from Gov. Reynolds, Lt. Gov. Gregg and Director Snow.

Director Snow served as the luncheon’s master of ceremonies and kicked off the award program with gratitude for the exceptional work of teachers in Iowa.

“At the Department, we have the opportunity to support all educators, which totals more than 38,000 teachers across the state,” Snow said. “All across Iowa, I see the expertise, commitment and care of these impressive professionals. Thank you for your dedication, commitment and for your focus on the success of Iowa students and helping them to realize their incredible potential.”

The current Iowa Teacher of the Year and Mitchellville Elementary School second grade teacher Krystal Colbert spoke at the luncheon about her year of service that highlighted her philosophy on incorporating grace in the classroom.

North Tama teacher Brenda Kaufmann (second from left) – 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year finalist – pictured last Friday during the 2024 Outstanding Iowa Teachers Recognition Luncheon held in Ankeny and hosted by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (second from right). Also pictured, Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow (left) and Iowa Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg (right). PHOTO COURTESY OF IOWA DEPT. OF EDUCATION

“It has been an honor to serve as the 2023 Iowa Teacher of the Year,” Colbert said. “I’ve been able to work and interact with over 25 teacher prep programs across the state, with many more still to come. My time with them has been focused around the importance of choosing grace and the lasting impact that can have on both teachers and students.”

The honored keynote speaker for the luncheon was Ann Mincks, the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year. Mincks, a 16-year English Language Learner educator from Des Moines Hoover High School, is noted for her use of evidence-based science of reading practices to ensure her students learn at high levels and achieve success. As the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year, Mincks will serve as an ambassador to Iowa educators starting in July.

“In the upcoming year, I will strive to motivate, challenge and inspire excellence,” she said. “I will work hard to earn the respect of students and peers and will continue to take education beyond textbooks and blackboards.”

Jennifer Paulsen, a 30-year veteran social studies educator at Holmes Junior High School in Cedar Falls, was awarded as the 2023 Iowa History Teacher of the Year. She noted how history can reach and engage kids in events from the past as well as the present, and she reaffirmed her commitment to engaging her students every day.

“In the years I have left in the classroom, I’m going to work on making sure my face lights up for every child that walks through my door,” Paulsen said. “That is what teachers do.”

North Tama second grade teacher Brenda Kaufmann speaks to her students at the end of a busy day last December. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Luncheon attendees enjoyed a three-course meal prepared and served by the first- and second-year culinary students from DMACC. Music for the event was provided by orchestra director Ann Osborne and three students from the Des Moines Independent Community School District.

Established in 1958, the Iowa Teacher of the Year award honors an Iowa teacher who motivates, challenges and inspires excellence with students and within the field. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History sponsors the Iowa History Teacher of the Year award to recognize the importance of teaching American history to future generations.

Along with Mincks and Paulsen, six finalists for the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year award were also honored at the Outstanding Iowa Teachers Recognition Luncheon.

-2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year finalist Daniel Black. Black is a 16-year music educator at Kirn Middle School in Council Bluffs.

-2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year finalist Thomas Braverman. Braverman is a 35-year veteran special education teacher, formerly of City High School in Iowa City. He is now teaching at the Clear Creek Amana School District.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

-2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year finalist Rachel Evanoff. Evanoff is a 12-year science educator at Alta Vista Campus in Dubuque.

-2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year finalist Tiffany Herr. Herr is a 14- year elementary educator at Orchard Hills Elementary in Norwalk.

-2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year finalist Brenda Kaufmann. Kaufmann is a 32-year veteran elementary educator at North Tama Elementary School in Traer.

-2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year finalist Nicole Schroeder. Schroeder is a 10-year elementary educator at Saydel’s Cornell Elementary in Des Moines.

Words of wisdom courtesy of Mrs. Kaufmann

Teacher Brenda Kaufmann says goodbye to her students at the end of the school day last December. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Last December, Telegraph reporter Ruby McAllister sat down with Mrs. Kaufmann in her second-grade classroom in Traer to discuss both her 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year finalist honor as well as her teaching philosophy.

During the discussion, it became clear that part of what makes Kaufmann so successful as a teacher – while also inspiring those around her – is the joy she finds in being a lifelong learner herself. It’s something she learned growing up.

“My dad was an accounting professor at Iowa State and my mom was an elementary teacher and then a stay-at-home mom. Education is very important to our family,” Kaufmann said of her late father Kenneth Elvik, and her mother Donna Elvik.

And while Kaufmann said she knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a teacher someday, neither of her parents ever tried to push her in any one direction. Instead, they let her lead the way.

“They really let me find my own path. They didn’t push me to go into any particular career. … I played outside a lot. My mom loved science. … We had blocks and tinker toys. [But I also] played with my Barbies all the time.”

A an inquiry wall in Brenda Kaufmann's second grade classroom at North Tama Elementary in Traer, Iowa. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Kaufmann said the child-led learning her parents nurtured in her has been a key part of her teaching philosophy for over three decades.

“It’s definitely a child-centered room,” Kaufmann said of her teaching environment which is best described as both whimsical – with its soft twinkly lights, natural colors, and earthy materials – and interactive with its focus on engineering and problem-solving.

“I want it to be about them. I just want them to believe they can do what they want to do … They’ve learned to not give up on things – no tears or tantrums. They’re using problem-solving and creative skills. I give them different materials to [work with]. And then they write about it. We celebrate the struggle.”

The classroom, Kaufmann said, is a huge part of her students’ success.

“Having a classroom environment where all kids feel seen is important – and we meet all their needs. The way we teach with inquiry-based science. This is their classroom, I want them to have that feeling of belonging and safety and feeling loved here. They can do hard things. It’s all the STEM [Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics] together with the classroom environment.”

“[We’ve] created a very child-centered, inquiry-based [classroom].”

When asked what parents can do to help their child find success in the classroom, Kaufmann said it boils down to simple things.

“Read to your children. Help instill a love of books and reading. Teach them a love of curiosity of the natural world. Teaching your kids not to give up [is important]. To believe in yourselves. If something doesn’t work out, how can we make it happen?”

But perhaps even more important, Kaufmann said, is to keep Iowa’s public schools strong.

“Every child deserves the best education we can give them. That’s what we do in a public school.”

Mrs. Kaufmann has taught at North Tama since 1993. In addition to being a classroom teacher, she is also the PK-6 STEM coordinator for the district and an adjunct instructor at the University of Northern Iowa where she teaches an elementary science methods course. She and her husband Paul C. Kaufmann have two adult children, Paul K. and Noah Kaufmann.

Brenda Kaufmann's child-centered classroom pictured in December 2023 in Traer, Iowa. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER