Teacher Feature: Cailey DenBoer

Lincoln School District's new first grade teacher, Cailey DenBoer, grew up in Lincoln and is excited to return to the town as an educator.

DenBoer attended school in Lincoln from kindergarten through her sophomore year, ultimately graduating from Capitol High in Helena, and then attending the University of Montana-Western.

"I have a bachelors in elementary ed, and a minor in early childhood education. When I was in college, I worked at the elementary school in Dillon as a paraprofessional, so I was an aid in the special ed classroom for three years. I did my student teaching this spring in Lincoln, with Mrs. Greenough. I love the early elementary, so I was always kinda keen on kindergarten through second grade, so first grade is definitely a sweet spot for me," said DenBoer.

In addition to teaching, DenBoer is the assistant junior high volleyball coach.

"That was something that really got me into wanting to be a teacher: I love sports, and I love kids. I am looking at basketball and potentially doing track as well. I didn't know I was going to be teaching this year, and I was ready to go full swing into three sports," said DenBoer, adding that she might wait to add more coaching to her schedule until she has finished her first year of teaching.

DenBoer, who had moved back to Lincoln when her courses moved online during the pandemic, was hired right before the school year started.

"It just happened to all work out perfectly," she said. "It's been a huge learning curve for sure. I was really, really grateful when they offered me a position, but it was really last minute. Definitely spending a lot of time preparing day by day, since I didn't have a lot of time to prepare my classroom at all. I've had really wonderful support from staff in Lincoln."

DenBoer said she's looking forward to science, technology, education, and math activities with her students.

"I definitely am a science-math person, so I think I am really excited to work with getting young kids involved with STEM and pushing more into going just beyond reading and arithmetic," said DenBoer.

As a student in Lincoln, DenBoer said she got to go to the Senior Center to read, and that when things can be normal, she's looking forward to similar opportunities to work with the Lincoln community outside of the classroom.

"I'm super excited to be working i the community that I grew up in. It's really really phenomenal to work with kids that I know their families," she said. "I went to the same school they're going to, I understand the struggles. I hope to be able to have the school involved in other parts of the community and help Lincoln School be the best that it can be."