This year, St. Robert School welcomed Mrs. Stefaniak as Dean of Students and Instruction. The Dean of Students and Instruction is a new position at St. Robert. Although Mrs. Stefaniak has a new role here, she is a familiar presence at the school as she has taught at St. Robert for many years. In her new role, with its many duties, Mrs. Stefaniak looks forward to continuing to serve St. Robert School and its supportive community, drawing on her years of experience as a teacher.
Mrs. Stefaniak is an experienced teacher, and she is very familiar with St. Robert School. She began her teaching career in the West Allis School District and came to St. Robert School over 30 years ago. This is her thirty-first year at St. Robert School. During her first year teaching at St. Robert, she taught K4. She then taught first grade, fourth grade, and third grade. Mrs. Stefaniak enjoyed teaching, and the thing she liked the most about teaching was the students. She especially loved it “when something click[ed]” with the students and the students said, “AH, I get it.”
In her new role as Dean of Students and Instruction, Mrs. Stefaniak is no longer responsible for daily classroom lesson plans and grading. Instead, she has many other types of duties. For instance, she is helping to support the teaching and instruction of the math coach. She is also helping teachers research and find the best new reading curriculum for the school. Beyond these academic matters, Mrs. Stefaniak monitors the dress code and talks with kids when they are having a rough day. Kids can come to her office to “chat and reset.” Mrs. Stefaniak enjoys having an office, and she hopes that it is “calm and cozy” for those who need to come see her. Although these are some of the things that Mrs. Stefaniak does, she noted that “each day is different from the next!”
Mrs. Stefaniak finds her new role to be rewarding. She very much enjoys coming into classrooms and watching the learning that is going on there. She also likes being able to help students stay on task and complete their assignments, and she likes helping kids who are having a bad day reset and improve their day.
Although Mrs. Stefaniak is no longer teaching, she brings years of teaching experience to her new position. Mrs. Stefaniak explained that her teaching experience is important to her new role because she has worked with all kinds of students and parents. She has also worked with several principals, and she has “learned so much” from all of them. For example, Mrs. Stefaniak knows that if there is a change or a shift in a curriculum, it is important not to panic and to make the change or shift manageable. Of course, as Mrs. Stefaniak also observed, there are differences between being a classroom teacher and her new role. For example, because every day is different, it is sometimes hard to make plans to visit a teacher. In order to make those plans, Mrs. Stefaniak uses an online calendar to try to keep her day organized and clear.
St. Robert School is truly fortunate to have Mrs. Stefaniak providing her thoughtful guidance in her new role at our school. Mrs. Stefaniak thinks of the St. Robert Community as “family,” and she stated that she “cannot see” herself “anywhere else.” She also sees the community as supportive and kind, as sharing a common vision for the students. Her hope for the St. Robert community is that it will be here for 100 more years.
