Ryan Lehmann, Lowell Elementary

Position: 2nd grade teacher

Years Teaching: 6 years

Hobbies/Interests: Golf, Movies, Spending time with family and friends, attending UNI basketball and football games

What do you enjoy most about teaching? Everyday is a new adventure! You never know what is going to happen from one day to the next. The students are always full of surprises!

What do you find most challenging about teaching? Finding the time to fit it all in. There is so much to do each day and so much content to learn that managing the time to fit it all in and do it how I feel it should be done can be quite challenging some times.

Best tip for new teachers: Build those relationships with each kid from day 1! When the students know that you genuinely care about them, they will give you so much more!

Best tip for career teachers: Ask for help! Sometimes you might feel silly asking a question that you think that you should already know, but it’ll make things a lot easier. Good teachers are not only there each day to help the students, but we are there to help each other succeed as well.

Favorite piece of advice for students: It’s okay to make mistakes and take chances. It’s the only way we really learn!

What being a Gold Star Teacher means to you: It’s an amazing accomplishment that I will always be incredibly proud of. It also creates a sense of responsibility and a challenge for me going forward to prove each and every day that I am deserving of this title.

Watch Ryan’s video here!