PROFILES IN EDUCATION: Rachel Robuck

Harbor Heights Elementary teacher prepares fifth-graders for next big step

Paige Richmond

of the Gateway

Being a fifth-grade teacher means balancing several different responsibilities. In the Peninsula School District, it’s the last year of elementary school before middle school, and the curriculum involves a wide range of topics to prepare students academically.

Rachel Robuck, a fifth-grade teacher at Harbor Heights Elementary, understands the task before her. In fact, it’s something she loves about her job.

Growing up in Eastern Washington, Robuck’s two favorite subjects in school were social studies and math. Now, she’s able to teach both topics — as well as three or four others — to her students.

Part of the challenge also is to integrate those subjects in a way that appeals to different types of learners, Robuck said. Her class is currently taking part in a classroom simulation, an activity during which students are organized into small teams and role-play historical characters. It’s sort of like a game, where goals and contests are set for both individuals and their teams.

The simulation is focused on early United States history and colonial times; one wall of Robuck’s classroom is decorated in construction-paper buildings to represent Boston.

“It’s the closest you can get to history without actually living it,” she said.

When she’s not teaching, Robuck, 30, lives on Fox Island with her husband, a teacher at Voyager Elementary School in Gig Harbor. The couple met at a teacher’s union meeting.

Robuck spoke to the Gateway about the importance of fifth grade, measuring success and why she loves her job.

Peninsula Gateway: When a student leaves your classroom at the end of the school year, what do you hope they take with them?

Rachel Robuck: Good memories of fifth grade — it’s a huge year.

PG: What makes fifth grade such a big year?

RR: It’s the last year of elementary. Going to middle school — they’re so excited about it, having lockers and switching teachers, they’re just ready to go on. (Recently) the district has done a good job of starting to initiate meetings between fifth-grade and middle-school teachers during Wednesday Collaboration Time.

PG: Why did you choose to teach this grade level?

RR: I like fifth grade because (the students) have a sense of humor, and they understand subtleties more than younger grades. I really like the fifth-grade curriculum — I like the complexity of the math (and) the content of social studies, which is early U.S. history.

PG: How do you measure your success as an educator?

RR: One is establishing individual relationships with students, and knowing what their strengths are and what they like to do outside of school. And then creating a safe classroom environment, going from the individual to the whole class. And then, of course, just seeing an increase in their achievement, in their learning, is huge. If I give a pre-test and they don’t do well, and then I give a post-test and they still didn’t do well, it would upset me — for me, not because of them.

PG: How do you measure students’ success?

RR: Two things: Basically, scores and data — not just whether they’re getting 80 and 90 percent on things, but how much growth they make. So, if a kid goes from a 40 percent to a 60 percent, that’s great. From where they’re at, that’s showing improvement. And attitude toward themselves and school and others — not just academics.

PG: What impact does parent involvement have on student education?

RR: What’s huge, what’s really important for me, is that a parent stays in contact with me. I try to stay in contact with them via newsletters and e-mails and that sort of thing. A parent told me today, “So-and-so’s grandmother just died.” That’s a huge thing to know, but often times they don’t think we find out, and a kid has a bad day and we don’t know why.

PG: What do you love about your job?

RR: I love that I enjoy going to work in the morning. The kids are energizing. They’re hilarious. It’s hard to explain the environment you can establish in a classroom — a classroom itself can have its own little inside jokes. It’s nothing that can be forced. It just naturally happens. It’s like coming to another family, which is cool.

Suggest a teacher

Do you know a teacher on the peninsulas you’d like to see profiled in The Peninsula Gateway? Suggest them for Profiles in Education, a new feature on the Schools page.

Once a month, a teacher or administrator from any public or private school in the area will answer a series of questions about their experiences in education. E-mail your suggestions to brian.mclean@gateline.com.

Reach reporter and columnist Paige Richmond at 253-853-9243 or by e-mail at paige.richmond@gateline.com.