Krista Keller, a Slayton area native and 1998 MCC graduate, will join the staff as the seventh- and eighth-grade English, junior high current events, communications and writing applications teacher.
Keller earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and K-8 language and communications from the University of Minnesota Morris in 2002. She earned a master’s degree in reading and literacy from Walden University in Minneapolis in 2006.
After college, Keller and her husband, Justin, moved to Byers, Colorado, where she taught fifth and sixth grades for five years. The couple returned to Minnesota in 2007, and Keller went on to teach in Farmington, Cannon Falls, Shakopee and Tracy before staying home to raise the couple’s four children, Bobby, Maggie, Fred and Sadie.
Last year, she worked part time at Trinity Preschool as an assistant teacher and helped develop the school’s website.
Keller had many exceptional teachers and coaches who had an impact on her life beyond grades or test scores because they were passionate about learning and truly cared.
“I knew that I wanted to make that kind of positive difference for kids,” Keller said. “My first, best and favorite teacher will always be my mom, Luann Parker, who inspired generations of Murray County kids at the elementary school for nearly 40 years.”
English and literature have always been among Keller’s favorite subjects, as a student and a teacher. During her years as a stay-at-home mom, she worked with the Friends of the Slayton Public Library and the Murray County Early Childhood Initiative on many projects promoting children’s literacy.
“Now that my own kids are in school, I was thrilled to be offered this position and am looking forward to getting back into the classroom,” she said.
In her new role, Keller looks forward to helping students connect literature to their own lives, develop confidence as writers and analyze and articulate their ideas.
“I love seeing a kid realize that a story written decades or centuries ago speaks directly to their current experiences,” she said. “I also enjoy watching students gain confidence in their own unique voices as writers. Writing can be intimidating for junior high kids, but it can also be one of their most powerful tools of self-expression.”
Throughout the year, Keller will guide students toward independent reading choices, integrate read-alouds and audiobooks and provide a structured, supportive environment where every student can improve.
Keller believes that perseverance and a willingness to try are more important to her than perfect scores.
“I’ve found that all students are more successful with clear boundaries, high expectations and consistent routines,” she said. “Respect, empathy and patience are important, but a healthy sense of humor is essential.”
