Hello!, My name is Christine Manthe. I have been a teacher for over 25 years, with over 20 of them in kindergarten. I have taught Title I, first through fifth grade, a variety of art classes, beginning reading and writing, and I have substitute taught in many grades in both a short and long-term capacity. I have taught in Minnesota in Waite Park, Royalton, Avon, and Albany; and I taught for over 9 years in Washington State; and substituted in many other towns out there as well. I've always wanted to be a teacher and have enjoyed working with children ever since I was a child! I attended grade school and high school in Winsted, MN and received my undergrad degree from the College of St. Benedict and my Master's degree in Teaching and Learning from St. Mary's University of Minnesota. In addition, I have a minor in Early Childhood and Family Education, and have taken many graduate classes in Art, Art Integration, Reading, Writing, Language Arts, Math, and many other areas. I love getting kids excited about reading, learning, and exploring the world around them! I enjoy integrating the various learning styles into my lessons and also incorporating opportunities to use the different intelligences to teach concepts and skills that allow each of my students a chance to succeed at learning. I live in Avon with my husband, Jeff, who is the pastor at SonRise Lutheran Church in Avon, a clerk at the Avon Post Office, and now, the mayor of Avon since January 2019. We lost our beloved West Highland White Terriers two years ago but have gotten lots of puppy love with our children's three new dogs - Maisy, Pepper, and Clark - and our two year old puppy - Sully, a big, floppy, friendly Labradoodle. Most importantly, I also have four children, Neil; Luke and his wife, Ashley and my new grandson - Jensen born on July 19, 2019; Molly and her husband, Tommy and our new granddaughter - Josie; and Callie. They are all very active and involved in various things and all four of my kiddos have graduated from college! Neil lives in the cities where he is a VP recruiter, trainer, and financial advisor for Securian Financial; Molly graduated Southwest with a double major in Biology and Chemistry and two minors: French and Honors studies, and then from medical school in Iowa. She finished her pediatric residency in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and was also named Co-Chief resident - an honor usually reserved for someone who's already finished residency! Now, she is a pediatrician in Fargo, ND. Luke graduated from St. Cloud State with an English degree and a Psychology minor and is a special education teacher at Orono High School. Callie graduated from NDSU with a Family Science and Human Development major and a psychology minor, and graduated with her Master of Occupational Therapy Degree from the University of La Crosse, WI with an emphasis on Pediatric OT. She works for Centracare Pediatrics OT in Sartell, MN. You can tell I'm a proud mama of four wonderful - not perfect - but wonderful children. I also have a great son-in-law, a fantastic daughter-in-law (who now makes me NOT the shortest in my family), Reagan- a granddaughter in heaven, and finally, I have a beautiful grandson, Jensen and a new beautiful granddaughter - Josephine! Yikes! I'm not old enough to be a grandma, am I? I mean, I'm only 29 with experience! Well, crazy describes our lives which are full and busy! You can find us all at our jobs, participating in activities, doing home improvement projects, gardening, enjoying time with family and friends, doing homework, spending time at church, and sometimes you can even catch us at home! We've grown to love this beautiful area of "Lake Wobegon" and the wonderful people who live here. I am looking forward to a great year in kindergarten at Albany Elementary and I thank you for letting me share in your child's education. Sincerely, Mrs. Christine Manthe
"Your child may not always bring something home in their hands, but they will always bring something home in their hearts."