Flexible teacher proves valuable asset to Charlo School
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CHARLO — Charlo teacher Mindy Cox likes to float under the radar, but even as low key as she tries to be, there’s no denying she’s one of Charlo’s most beloved educators.
The University of Montana track athlete came to Charlo in 1994, with the idea that she would teach elementary school, spending only a few years in the small town.
But this year marks the teacher’s 17th year with the school, teaching first grade to seventh grade and everything and anything in between.
“You are here for the kids,” Cox explained. "It doesn’t matter what subject or grade level.”
She had always envisioned herself as an elementary school teacher, but after spending a year in middle school, Cox realized that she enjoyed middle school as well.
And there’s quite a difference.
After a day teaching in the elementary, Cox feels physically exhausted. But after a day teaching adolescents, Cox feels intellectually spent.
That doesn’t deter the working mother of four children — Kobe, Kaitlyn, Kassidi, Karson and one “question-mark K” on the way.
“(The first five months) were hard, because I was trying to take my classes at the university, have five kids and throw up,” Cox joked.
Cox is seven months pregnant and working on obtaining her masters in education with an emphasis in technology. To make matters more chaotic, she endured a trying first few months of her pregnancy while teaching in the elementary school.
But her young students were well aware and showed an incredible amount of empathy.
“You have times (during pregnancy) when you are just physically sick,” Cox said. “The kids are just so understanding and forgiving.”
This year, the versatile educator will move from the elementary to take Keith Grebetz’s place instructing middle school English.
Cox feels that the middle school is a crucial step in the student’s education and the development of the individual.
“There are just so many opportunities in life, so many doors that they have,” Cox said. “I want them to have the self-confidence to go out and explore all their aspirations and interests.”
Cox herself didn’t have the best middle school experience. A new sixth-grade student in Helena, she felt isolated. Her teacher didn’t take the time it took to invest in her education.
“I want that stage of life to go as smooth as possible because that wasn’t the experience for me,” Cox said.
So Cox spent a good chunk of the summer setting up her new classroom, dragging her middle school English paraphernalia out of storage and hanging it about the classroom.
The back of her classroom is lined with a row of computers that the school bought as part of their Gear-Up grant.
“It really ties in with my master's,” Cox said.
The computers and the smart board are tools that are more easily used in the middle school than in the elementary, and Cox is enthusiastic about using what she’s learned in the classroom.
She’s also ecstatic about a new writing program called Step Up to Writing and looks forward to working to keep Charlo kids up to speed on their literary skills.
Her years in education have proved to be a wild ride for Cox, who claims that the small school atmosphere requires more flexibility than a larger school. But she’s proud to be part of the faculty and also proud to know that her kids will be at Charlo until baby “question-mark K” graduates in 2028.
“You do get a little crazy after awhile, but isn’t that what makes life fun, though?” Cox explained. “That’s what’s neat about being a teacher. No two days are the same.”
