Meet Greta
Teacher
I have always been a teacher, starting first with my little sisters, teaching them everything I could. In high school I volunteered as a classroom helper in a Head Start program. I attended St. Cloud State where I received my K-6 teaching license. Upon graduation I taught elementary school in LeSueur, Minnesota for six years.
I then took eleven years off to be a full-time mother to our three daughters. While I love teaching, I am most proud of my job as a mother. While raising our girls, I attended graduate classes to keep my teaching license current.
When the Robbinsdale Area School’s Creative Play Program hired me in 1992, I went back to St. Cloud State University to get my Early Childhood Teaching License and then my Masters Degree in Child and Family Studies. I taught at Cavanaugh School (now sold and gone) and at the Armstrong High School Early Childhood Lab School. In the evenings I also taught Kindergarten Connection at Sonnesyn, Sunny Hollow, New Hope, Meadow Lake, Neill, and Lakeview Elementary Schools.
From 1996-2004 I was a 5’s Alive Developmental Kindergarten teacher in the Robbinsdale School District and achieved my National Board Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist. I also started work on a Doctorate Degree in Education in Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota.
Administrator
With my Doctor of Education degree completed, I began to work on my Principal licensure and started teaching third grade at New Hope Elementary School. After New Hope Elementary closed, I joined the staff at Plymouth Middle School as a sixth grade teacher and a T.O.S.A. (Teacher on Special Assignment) as the Sixth Grade Principal at PMS and Olson School during the PMS renovation. During the summer I taught basic skills math at Cooper High School and co-directed the summer school program there.
In 2008 I was hired by the Hopkins Public Schools and became the Principal at Meadowbrook Elementary in Golden Valley for the next twelve years. During that time the school grew from 610 students to 850 students. I went back to the University of Minnesota and received my Superintendent of Schools Licensure. I have taken undergraduate or graduate level classes in School Law, Special Education Law, School Finance, Conducting a School Referendum, Human Resources, Courts and Civil Liberties, Black History, Racism, Constitutional Law, and School Administration.
On July 1, 2020 I retired from Meadowbrook Elementary in Golden Valley.
Also in 2020 I was elected to the Robbinsdale Area Schools School Board. I continue to use my education and experience to make decisions that keep what is best for students and for learning at the forefront. I am able to devote all the time it takes to be a responsible and responsive board member.
Greta’s Resume is here. Greta’s Curriculum Vitae is here.
Parent
While my daughters were students in 281, I was a volunteer in the classroom and for the schools. At Sonnesyn, I spent 2 years as the PTSO President, served as an editor for the BeeLine Newsletter and chairperson for the ice cream social. I was also a member of the Building Site Council and the Interschool Council. I was a member of ISD 281 Boundary Change Committee, ISD 281 Strategic Planning Committee, and the ISD 281 Citizens Referendum Committee. This wide range of volunteer experience rewarded me with insight about the inner workings of schools, had district-wide impact and formed lasting friendships.
At Plymouth Middle School, I was secretary of the parent organization for six years. This longevity helped provide historical perspective and guidance to other parents as they transitioned into and out of the middle school.
Homecoming, Spring Fling, prom and other dances are the highlight for many high schoolers and because of my work as a chaperone organizer, students safely enjoyed Armstrong High School dances for four years! I was also the Chair of the Armstrong Choir Boosters for two years, helping fundraise and organize and chaperone tours to Boston and Chicago.