FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas — Unified School District 207’s Teacher of the Year Mandi Grenell is finding ways to connect with her students to help them learn but also to help them be “good humans.”
“My parents and husband joke that my whole life is teaching,” the MacArthur Elementary School fifth-grade teacher said. “And it is, but it's because I love it, so I don't fault myself for it.”
Instead, she immerses herself in the needs and interests of her students. Sometimes that means delving into other things her students are crazy about, like anime, during her spare time to find ways to connect.
“Every teacher is told that (teaching is about relationships) in college, and we all are told that during our professional developments, and we all know it, but it's then hard sometimes to put it into practice,” Grenell said. “I have kids who have different interests than I do. (Some are) huge gamers, and I'm super sporty, I love all sports, and so, I just have to find the way to connect.”
MacArthur Principal Tracy Johnson said Grenell’s students thrive due to her ability to build those relationships and create a community among her students.
“Mandi exemplifies what true educational leadership looks like. She demonstrates exceptional organization in both planning and preparation, ensuring that every lesson is purposeful and aligned to student needs,” Johnson said. “Her ability to think outside the box allows her to build engaging, innovative learning experiences that challenge students and spark curiosity. Beyond strong instruction, she models a growth mindset — embracing feedback, reflecting on practice and continuously seeking ways to improve. She leads by example, is an asset to her colleagues and consistently puts student success at the center of every decision.”
Grenell has spent her teaching career with USD 207 — as a third-grade teacher for four years at MacArthur, a fifth-grade teacher for five years at MacArthur, and a year as an instructional impact coach at Bradley a few years ago.
“I think that year was the year I've learned the absolute most — it was a new building, it was new staff. I was in every grade level, every class. I would sometimes just be thrown into teaching a class as I'm mentoring first-year teachers in grades that I haven't taught,” she said. “It helped me see the district's vision, the building vision, and grade-level visions.”
As much as she gained from that experience, she knew she wanted to return to teaching in the classroom.
“I loved it, but I realized I love kids — I missed having my own classroom.”
Teaching methodology
One of Grenell’s teaching methods — allowing students to redo assignments — is about more than a grade. She said it helps ensure they are learning and not just memorizing answers, but it is also helping them in broader sense.
“I think my (teaching) philosophy is I want to make good humans, and so having a kid get an A isn't going to make a good human. I want them to want to like learning,” she said. “I love learning — I have two master's degrees because I love learning; I'm getting my license in school leadership, so I maybe will be a principal, but I think it also making me a better teacher — and so I tell that to the kids, too: ‘I want you to like learning because you will never know everything, and it's fun to learn new things.’”
Allowing students to rework assignments means extra work for Grenell, but she said what the students get from the option makes it worth it.
“It helps them long-term to understand the material, and it helps them take that ownership and that pride, which then makes them slow down in the future, because I talk about ‘Not only are you just redoing it, but you're having to take the time to redo it, so if you had slowed down the first time, you could you have gotten (a better) grade because I haven't actually really helped you outside of re-giving this to you,’ I try to just teach skills that I was taught from my parents about being focused in school and having that pride in our work.”
That method has been working well with the fifth-graders, whom she said want to be viewed as “mini adults.” To not be treated like children, Grenell said she tells her students that they have to show they can handle being given responsibility, and maturely handle any contention among themselves.
“I'll tell them that frequently, ‘Can you figure this out, or do I need to get involved?’ And then they know it means if I get involved: they're going to both have to redo something in a conflict and both have to take ownership instead of talking it out and realizing it really wasn't that big of a deal. ‘We both can say sorry, we're still friends, and we can move on.’”
Students’ perspectives
Grenell’s students have expressed appreciation for her teaching style.
“By far she's my favorite teacher that I've had since kindergarten,” fifth-grader Mia Ouellette said. “She lets us learn fun ways, and she gives us exercise, too, sometimes. It's really fun like that. And she also helps us whenever we need it, except for on tests, and then she sometimes even gives us extra recess, too, for being good.”
Mia said that being able to re-work assignments for a better grade helps her understand the lessons, and the reasons for the mistakes. She said that being able to move around, such as during “standing math” — a method Grenell uses to teach math that is based on the Building Thinking Classrooms concept where students solve problems standing at white boards and walk around the classroom to view and assess other students’ work — she is able to focus better and stay more engaged in the lesson than she could if she were sitting at her desk.
Mainly, Mia said, she appreciates that Grenell is so nice to her, and all of the students.
“She's really nice to everybody. She helps us. She doesn't pressure on the rules a lot, but she still makes them a thing, too. She understands if we're going through a hard time, and she lets us take a break,” Mia said. “I had a rough day once and then she helped me get through it. She understood whenever I needed a break … because I was having a rough time at home and there was something serious going on.”
Fifth-graders Drew Britton and Emery Gilleland also said that balance of effective teaching and kindness is what stands out to them about their teacher.
“She's trying to get us a good understanding,” Drew said. “She's not really hard on you, but she's also not too polite. She's going to push you, but not work you too hard.”
Emery said she noticed that about Grenell as well.
“I like that because I know I've had teachers in the past that pushed me a little too hard, and they weren't very nice, but, Mrs. Grenell, she's nice, she's kind, and she'll be stern when she has to be stern, and she just does a great job teaching,” Emery said. “I think Mrs. Grenell is a really good teacher because she's always just willing to pull us aside and help us, and we can redo our grades if we get bad ones.”
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