LOOSBROCK RETIRES

By Jenny Kirk Fresh out of college at Southwest Minnesota State University, Brenda Loosbrock started her first elementary teaching job at Murray County Central Schools in Slayton. Today, 35 years later, she is retiring from the career she has loved for all of those years.

It will be bittersweet as Loosbrock leaves her fifth-grade classroom for the final time — amazingly, it is the same classroom she began her teaching career in, though it was a thirdgrade classroom at the time.

“I’m going to miss the kids,” Loosbrock said. “I’m going to miss a lot of things. There are things I’m not going to miss, too, like rushing at lunch, grading papers and taking things home with me. I won’t miss that at all. But I’ll miss the camaraderie with my coworkers and I’ll miss the interactions with the students. It’s bittersweet. But it’s time. I just know it’s time.”

Loosbrock did her student teaching in Marshall and in Dawson. And while she was initially hired to be a third-grade teacher at MCC, she has also and babysitting, and I had a younger brother and sister. I’ve always been around kids. I like that they are still impressionable.”

While she taught four different grade levels, Loosbrock was a fifth-grade teacher for more than 25 of her 35 years, so she has a good understanding of students at that age. “There’s a big jump from fourth grade to fifth grade because stuff gets to be a little bit more rigorous for kids,” she said. “That’s all standards based. We don’t decide that. And every year, there’s growth, but in fifth grade, there’s a lot of growth.”

Loosbrock said she appreciates being able to have grownup conversations with fifth graders, who she said are like impressionable little adults on the verge of becoming teenagers with increased hormone levels. “There’s a lot going on when the hormones really start, but that’s why I like fifth grade,” Loosbrock said. “You can still have good conversations with them.”

Except for a foreign language, Loosbrock has taught all the subjects at the fifthgrade level. Most often, though, she specialized in teaching science and writing, not just to the students in her homeroom, but to all the students in fifth grade at MCC.

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Throughout her career, Loosbrock has witnessed a lot of change, the biggest of which has been technology. “Technology, not just in education but at home, has impacted how our kids are wired,” she said. “It affects their thinking skills and attention spans. That’s all linked to technology. There’s the issue of instant gratification, but there’s also instant information that can destroy a kid’s self-esteem because of technology. It never used to be that way. I think that has played a part in how kids and peers interact outside of school. They bring that baggage to school, too.”

Loosbrock is quick to note that technology certainly provides good educational opportunities as well. “The e-Learning days have been beneficial,” she said. “It’s not always ideal at home, but at least there’s still communication. We have those opportunities that we never used to have. That was especially helpful with COVID. It isn’t all bad, but it’s changed the way kids think and it’s changed their activity levels.”

Nowadays, teachers and school districts seem to be tasked with a lot more than ensuring students meet the academic criteria imposed by the state each year. Some would argue that family lives have become busier and more complex than years ago, leading to additional challenges for children to navigate through. “As educators, we do more than just be their teacher,” Loosbrock said. “Sometimes, we’re like a parent, and we also deal with more mental health issues than ever before. There’s lots of exposure to things children shouldn’t be exposed to. It’s tougher growing up now than years ago. There’s just so much involved in it. It takes a special person to be a teacher. Not everyone can do it.”

In general, the teaching profession has continued to face challenges, whether it’s the shortage of licensed teachers and other personnel, the fight for fair wages or the increased expectations regarding job duties. “I hope teachers get more credit,” Loosbrock said. “We deserve it. We prepare kids for everything. We don’t just pick one job, we prepare kids for every job. And there are life skills we try to teach them, like problem solving and critical thinking — those skills are needed in the job force.”

When it comes to having the summer months off, Loosbrock is a firm believer that teachers need that time to recoup. “Some people get other jobs, but some teachers need the break just for mental health for themselves,” she said. “It’s a job that not a lot of people do. We hear parents say, ‘I’m so ready for my kids to get back to school,’ and they’ve only had them for less than three months. Try having them for nine months. It’s a very demanding job.”

For this academic school year, Loosbrock had 19 students. Most years, she had between 19 and 22 students. The most she ever taught in the homeroom was 26. “That year, we had 2.5 sections, so I had 26 in the homeroom,” she said. “That’s a lot, but in the afternoon, the students got split into three sections. Normally, our district does a good job of keeping the numbers lower, especially in the lower (elementary) grades, but there were budget cuts that year.”

During her 35-year career, Loosbrock said she’s been through a lot of administrators and had a lot of coworkers. “There are a lot of good memories,” she said. “There are some funny memories — not everyone would understand. There’s some sad, too.”

Loosbrock has learned to treat her students as individuals and that siblings are not necessarily similar to each other. “You can’t always associate kids with their siblings because they’re not always like their siblings,” Loosbrock said. “I tell kids that, too. One of the beautiful things is that each kid is unique. If we were all the same, we wouldn’t get along. We’d be arguing about the same things. It’s good to have differences. We need every job, too. We need to appreciate the people who are picking up our garbage as well as the people who are doing brain surgery.”

One of the things Loosbrock is most looking forward to after 35 years of rushing through lunch breaks is to have nice, long lunches. “Now, I have to wolf my food down,” she said. “I’m lucky to get 20 minutes for lunch. I also won’t miss driving in the winter.”

The enjoyment of being a new grandma is certainly at the top of Loosbrock’s retirement list, as is spending time with other family members and friends. Brenda, and her husband, Mike, have two children, Ben and Mallory, along with a new grandson. “I’m looking forward to being a grandma and spending more time with our kids,” Loosbrock said. “I’m also looking forward to spending more time with my folks, too, as they age.”

Time spent reading and gardening are also likely to increase in the near future. “My reading is usually centered on kids, but now I can just focus on reading for pleasure,” Loosbrock said. “I’ll continue to garden. I’m thinking about being a master gardener. That might be something I want to do.”

Loosbrock will continue to serve as a Minnesota high school volleyball official, something she has done for nearly 30 years. “It’s another way for me to be involved,” she said. “I officiate and I also coached (at MCC) for a few years. I’ve coached it, played it, refed it and parented it. I’ve worn all the hats with volleyball.”

Along with catching up on things that were neglected at home over the years, Loosbrock also plans to travel, even if it means leaving Mike, who is not retiring from his job at John Deere, at home. “One of my best friends from college, who I played ball with, retired this year, and we are taking a trip next fall,” she said. “I squeezed it in during volleyball season. We’re going out to the east coast, up to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward and Quebec City. We’re starting in Boston. I love the history in Boston and haven’t been able to get there, so we’ll be there for a couple of days, then get on our ship. One of the ports is in Maine, at the Acadia National Park, then going around. It’s something I’m looking forward to.”

Amidst teaching till the end of the school year, Loosbrock has been slowly taking home her belongings from the classroom. With 35 years of stuff accumulated, it hasn’t necessarily been an easy task, but she is hoping to be done by Monday, June 5, when the teachers are officially finished. The school board typically serves them burgers outside on the last day, followed by a recognition ceremony in the auditorium. “They recognize the people who are leaving the district and the people who are retiring,” Loosbrock said. “It’s nice.”

Bridget Kluis looks to be filling the void left by Loosbrock’s retirement. “She’s coming in and taking fifth grade,” Loosbrock said. “Bridget took a leave, but with the shortage of teachers, they talked her into coming back. So for at least one year, she’ll be here.”

While there is likely a lot of advice she could leave everyone, especially with all the insight she’s gained over the years, Loosbrock primarily advocated for ongoing learning. In practicing what she preaches, she tries to have some kind of goal in mind every year. Two summers ago, she learned how to can vegetables after her neighbor encouraged her to try it. For her students, whom she journals with throughout the school year, she encouraged them to read for pleasure, be active, have fun but also to not forget about their education. “You don’t want to lose everything you’ve worked so hard for,” she said.