Abigail Knutson is a graduate of Saint Mary’s University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education, as well as a 5th grade – 8th grade math and science endorsement. Before graduating, she worked as a tutor at Saint Mary’s literacy clinic. She is currently working on her Masters in Education with a concentration on STEM and Engineering through the University of St. Thomas. She also spent many hours in the classroom working with students, including spending time in a kindergarten classroom, teaching math in Saint Ambrose’s junior high and also teaching in a science classroom in Saint Charles. Mrs. Knutson also has worked as a Faith Formation teacher at Saint Ambrose.
Mrs. Knutson’s interest in teaching grew out of her own education, which started here at Saint Ambrose. She credits her teachers at Saint Ambrose, along with her high school teachers, for inspiring her to become a teacher herself. She wants her students to learn through active, hands-on, student-centered and authentic experiences, which she feels requires flexibility, creativity, and open mindedness. She thinks it’s essential to educate the whole child and this involves building relationships with her students. Her teaching philosophy respects the dignity of every student by caring for them and adapting to their learning needs. She works to differentiate her teaching so students will be able to reach their full potential. Mrs. Knutson strives to create an environment where students are collaborating, learning and engaging with one another through hands on experiences. Most importantly, she wants to create a classroom environment where children are excited, eager, and on fire to learn.
Catholic education is important to Mrs. Knutson. She enjoys teaching at a Catholic school because it allows her to teach her students about Christ, and help them grow in their faith. She also feels that the small class sizes found at a Catholic school allow teachers to build one-on-one relationships with students, helping to deepen their knowledge and teach them good morals. She firmly believes Catholic education helped her build good character, develop morals and influence the world in a Christian manner, leading her closer to God.
In addition to teaching, Mrs. Knutson loves to volunteer, and has spent time serving in soup kitchens, packing food through Feed My Starving Children and taking other volunteer opportunities that arise when she can. She also loves music and plays piano and guitar, and has also been a member of the Saint Ambrose choir since she was in second grade. She loves to incorporate music into learning.
“What I have learned from working with students is that every student has a hidden talent and brings something special to the classroom community. Not all students learn the same, and I learn just as much from my students as they learn from me. Moreover, I have learned that no lesson is going to go perfectly as planned, and being flexible is part of the job. Furthermore, I have learned that building off of student’s knowledge, and interest really helps engage them and inspires them to want to learn more.” – Abigail Knutson