Physical Education & The Arts

Physical Education

 

KRISTIN O'CONNOR

koconnor@immanuelcl.org

Why I teach: I teach because it gives me the opportunity to spread the Gospel story and share my love of history to all of my students.

 Personality of my classroom: My classroom is an open area for discussion of  the Gospel, the history of the world and the United States, and how those things are influenced  by current events and how the Gospel influences the world around us.  

Memorable teaching experience: My most memorable teaching moments come when students have their eyes open to moments of history and how they are connected with the Gospel story and the bible in general.

Why I chose Immanuel: I chose Immanuel because I like the opportunity to have the great gift of  teaching smaller class sizes in a great facility that has all of the most up to date technology at my finger tips to give my students the best experience possible.

Experience: I began my teaching career in the fall of 1994 at St. Peter Lutheran in Arlington Heights and have taught at Immanuel since fall of  2013.

Education: Concordia University Ann Arbor, B.A. in History/Political Science with a minor in Physical Education.

Outside of class:  I like to spend time with my family and follow all sports.  Especially the University of Michigan Wolverines.  I am also an assistant boys varsity basketball coach at Cary-Grove HS.


Art

 

DEBBIE RISNER

drisner@immanuelcl.org

Why I teach:  I teach because I have always enjoyed working with children and watching them learn. I enjoy watching my students learn about the different ways they can express themselves through their artwork.  I have a lot of enthusiasm for teaching art and introducing them to different artists. 

 Personality of my classroom:  The personality of my classroom is vibrant, joyful, fun and relaxing. Students enjoy working with different materials and we enjoy time together chatting and listening to music.

Memorable teaching experience: One of the many memorable teaching moments that I've had the pleasure of experiencing was when a few of my art students had so much fun with a project that they asked to continue learning about the artist and technique we used. Then they did a few projects at home and had so much fun sharing them with me and the class. 

Why I chose Immanuel: ​I chose Immanuel to teach art because my husband and I had made the decision to send our children to Immanuel. My husband and I have been members of Immanuel for many years and feel blessed to have so many friends and family here.

Experience: ​I started teaching in 2000 in St.Louis as a 1st and 4th grade teacher and then worked for six years in a preschool in Lake In the Hills.  I then took some time to be a stay at home mom for some time.  I started teaching art at Immanuel in 2015.

Education: I attended Concordia University of Chicago in River Forest. I received my Bachelor's degree in Education with my teaching certificate for K - 8. 

Outside of class: When I am not in class I enjoy reading, riding my bike with my kids, gardening and time with friends and family and board games. 


Music

 
 

Library

Why I teach:  

 Personality of my classroom:  

Memorable teaching experience:

Why I chose Immanuel:

Experience:

Education:

Outside of class:


 

Why I Teach: I have always believed that the classroom (or library) is where God meant for me to be the most useful to Him. Teaching is "in my blood," as both my Aunt and Uncle were teachers and strongly encouraged me to pursue my passion of working with children. I absolutely LOVE being a School Librarian andSubstitute Teacher. In both roles, I get to share God's love with children and help them discover more about themselves and the world around them.

 Personality of my teaching space: While I like my space to be organized, I also like it to be a fun and safe place for students to explore their own world, or other worlds through the gift of the written word.

 Memorable teaching experience: There are way too many to count!  What stays with me is when a child who struggles to find something they like reading, or generally does not enjoy reading, gets excited about a book or a series of books.

 Why I chose Immanuel: Immanuel has always been my "home away from home" because of family who were here already. My children are graduates of Immanuel, and I am a very strong believer in Lutheran Education. Over the years, I have subbed here, and when the librarian position opened, I felt that God was giving me a push, so here I am.

Experience: I have worked in day care centersand St. Matthew Lutheran (Hawthorn Woods), Good Shepherd Lutheran (Elgin),  and Faith Lutheran High School (Crystal Lake). I have also been a substitute Band Director for Music Education Service

Education:  I have a Bachelor's from Concordia University River Forest, and classes from Argosy University and Northern Illinois University. Additionally, I have classwork in Library and Information Science from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

 Outside of Class: I enjoy reading, writing, cross-stitch, and time with my family (including the furry ones!)  When the weather is warm, I enjoy going for walks, riding my bike, and spending time outside in the backyard with friends.