Brainerd's Minnesota Teacher of the Year nominee promotes early childhood programs

Teaching wasn't always June Dahlgren's passion.

The former dental assistant now turned teacher of the year realized her calling in education 28 years ago, when her youngest daughter was born in the neonatal intensive care unit with a disability.

"That opened up a whole other world of just learning about resources and learning what to do when your child isn't meeting those milestones and not developing in the way that's so-called 'typical,'" she said Tuesday, Feb. 5, while sitting in her classroom at the Washington Educational Services Building in Brainerd.

That new world got Dahlgren thinking about a career change.

"The early intervention team at the school helped me a lot," she said. "So if I could do that, if I could make a difference in one child's life, then I've done something."

So that's what she did.

Dahlgren went back to school, earning her associate degree from Brainerd Community College (now Central Lakes College) and receiving her teaching license from St. Cloud State University. Then in 1996, after a couple months as a parent educator in Mora, she got a job as an early childhood special education teacher in the Brainerd School District, where she has stayed ever since.

"Our early education program in Brainerd is astounding," she said. "We have a lot of different programs to meet kids' needs in lots of different ways."

It's that exceptional program that has Dahlgren commuting from Onamia every day to fulfill her true passion in trying to make a difference in a child's life.

And it's that passion that earned her the 2018 Teacher of the Year title in the Brainerd School District and now a spot on the nomination list for 2019 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

"I had no idea," Dahlgren said of earning the district award last April. "Everybody kept it from me."

When she saw several familiar faces in the halls of the Washington building that day, she chalked it up to the looming referendum and one final push to get the effort passed.

And just the day before, Dahlgren remembered wondering when the email announcing the teacher of the year would come.

"But little did I know ... " she said and laughed.

The nomination came from Steve Lund, the district's director of business services at the time.

"I see June work tirelessly with our youngest learners, never wavering from the passion that pushes her each day to face the challenges side by side with her students," Lund wrote in his nomination letter. "Without knowing it, June has also played a significant role in my professional life, teaching me that the things that count, can't always be counted."

While Dahlgren appreciates the award, it doesn't just mean glory for her.

"It means more awareness to the public of early childhood, particularly early childhood special ed," she said. "We have classrooms and programs from birth to 5 that help children that are identified as having a need, and we can help provide services in a lots of different ways. That's what it means."

It also means she gets to promote her passion on her higher level, after the district put her name in the running for 2019 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Dahlgren then had to answer essay questions and submit her background information to the state.

"I'm really doing it to promote early intervention," she said. "I want people to think 'E-12,' not 'K-12.'"

As an early childhood special education teacher, Dahlgren works primarily with 3- and 4-year-olds, meaning her classroom is set up and run much like a normal preschool room, the difference being all of her students have some sort of special need, qualifying them for special education services.

"I have kids that have multiple needs, that have physical therapy, occupational therapy needs. And then I have kids that mainly have some communication needs, so it ranges," she said.

"And it's run just like a preschool except we have lots of support with staff and use lots of different strategies to help them meet their needs."

A plethora of colorful visual aids adorn Dahlgren's classroom, where several styles of little chairs encircle the tables. Sometimes a unique chair, she said, will help accommodate a certain student.

"We adapt to whatever their need is," she said.

But the students still get the opportunity to play with their peers and develop social skills, just like any other preschool child.

Over the past few years, Dahlgren and her fellow early childhood teachers have undergone social/emotional training so they can pass necessary skills onto their students.

"We work a lot on talking about feelings and problem-solving," she said. "'What do you do when you're angry?' That sort of thing."

Putting those skills to use and seeing all her hard work pay off is the best part of the job for Dahlgren.

When asked about her greatest achievements over the last 23 years as a teacher, Dahlgren said, "I think when I hear from a parent how much it meant for them, to help them come to terms with their child's disability or help their child come to school for the first time." She also enjoys watching her students' small victories, whether it be pronouncing a difficult word for the first time or learning to drink from a cup without a top on it.

"It's those little steps that lead to the big steps that make the difference," she said. "That's what's really exciting."

And that's what keeps Dahlgren coming back to the classroom.

"There's something to celebrate almost every day. There's something to smile about almost every day," she said. "And you meet some pretty amazing families and some pretty amazing kids."

Minnesota Teacher of the Year

Dahlgren is one of 168 candidates for 2019 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Other area nominees include Mandy Gallant of Wadena-Deer Creek Public Schools, Katie Lieser of Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Public Schools and Briana Novak of Isle Public Schools.

This year's program will name the 55th Minnesota Teacher of the Year, with candidates ranging from early childhood to 12th grade to adult basic education, from public and private schools.

Semifinalists will be chosen at the end of February and finalists will be named at the end of March. This year's honoree will be announced May 5 during a banquet at the St. Paul RiverCentre.

Education Minnesota sponsors the award and receives support from Education Minnesota Economic Services Inc., Educators Lifetime Solutions, Educators Financial Services Advisors, Harvard Club of Minnesota Foundation, McDonald's Restaurants of Minnesota, SMART Technologies and United Educators Credit Union.