Keith Roberts:
Due to a change of staff in Shorewood School District’s curriculum, Keith Roberts, coach of baseball and football, is now a new Physical Education teacher at both SHS and SIS.
Growing up in Missouri, Roberts had an influential figure who inspired him to pursue teaching.
“When I was in the ninth grade, my math teacher was my football and baseball coach, and I thought that was so cool because in the classroom, he acted one way- he was very strict and professional and he was a teacher- and then we’d get on the football field or baseball field and he was his real self,” Roberts said. “He was still professional, but you started to see a different side of him.”
Prior to pursuing a career in education, Roberts worked as a cement finisher. Now, Roberts has been teaching Physical Education for 12 years, and has encountered multiple personalities and various situations. He expresses his excitement in getting to motivate a new group of students.
“My favorite parts of teaching are laughing, joking, and having fun,” Roberts said. “I teach physical education and health… so I usually see a different side of [the students] compared to other academic teachers. I get to see them be their true selves.”
Roberts recently moved back to Milwaukee after previously living in Louisiana.
“I’m looking forward to learning the Shorewood culture, the Shorewood way, how I can blend in with that and become one with it,” Roberts said. “I’m looking forward to the fall, the winter and the spring here. I love this community and everything it’s got to offer.”
Roberts is hoping to familiarize himself with the various locations around Shorewood
“[A] goal I have is to visit all the coffee shops in the area and find a place for some good cheese curds.”
Nicole Magin:
Nicole Magin is another new social studies teacher, who also teaches a variety of different social studies classes, and previously taught middle school students.
Magin teaches three different social studies courses at Shorewood, including American Society, Ancient and Medieval Worlds, and the Modern World.
Initially Magin was planning on being a lawyer.
“I decided near the end of my undergrad that law felt so disconnected from people and you don’t really see the impact on others’ lives, so I decided I wanted to go into education to actually see the impact on people’s lives, and see how students build those personal connections,” said Magin.
Magin’s commitment to connecting with her students is very prevalent and she hopes to learn more about them.
“I really like the everyday relationships that you build with kids and talking to them at the beginning of class, because that just makes the whole class experience a lot more fun,” Magin said. “When you actually know the students and you can joke with them and you can do more fun things because you know each other, you trust each other.” Magin said.
Magin’s previous position gives her a new perspective upon coming into SHS and is leaving her excited for a lot of the typical high school activities.
“I’m excited to get to know the students and the staff here at SHS,” Magin said. “I’m also excited to be working at a high school because I was at middle school before so [I’m excited] to see kids doing sports and clubs that they’re actually more into, doing homecoming and just things like that.” Magin said.
As any new teacher would, Magin hopes to get to know people better and integrate herself within the Shorewood community.
“Getting to know people, getting to be more of a part of this community with the staff, maybe getting involved with… some clubs and just feeling comfortable here,” Magin said.
Samantha Hoppe:
Samantha Hoppe is one of the new Social Studies teachers this year, previously spending the past eight years teaching at Beloit Memorial High School.
Hoppe went to UW-Milwaukee, and now looks to integrate herself within the Shorewood community, bringing with her a passion for teaching.
“It kind of hit me when I was in high school that [teaching] was just something I needed to do, like a calling,” Hoppe said. “I used to play with my stuffed animals and be a teacher to them, and I just really love social studies, and the behavioral sciences.”
Hoppe recognizes the importance of teachers, especially the value of having a good one.
“My favorite part [of teaching] takes place after class is done, when kids come back and they remember stuff and you realize you made an impact,” Hoppe said. “It’s awesome when a kid is struggling and all of a sudden, it clicks for them but it’s more important to me that later on, either later in high school or post high school, that there’s something to be remembered, whether it’s the connections, the content, [or] the skills, and that kids are being set up for success.”
Hoppe, who teaches American Society, the Ancient and Medieval Worlds, and the Modern World, has been a part of several new changes implemented within the social studies curriculum at Shorewood.
“I’m looking forward to Magin and I’s new world history curriculum, which we wrote, and I’m really excited to see that get used and grow and tweaked,” Hoppe said.
Hoppe’s big goal this year is to feel comfortable in Shorewood and settle into the community.
“I’m coming from eight years somewhere else, and so making new connections with staff and with students is exciting,” Hoppe said. “Me and my fiance are starting to look for places to live, and I’m really excited just to really embed myself into the Shorewood community.”
Debra Schwinn:
Debra Schwinn, former social studies teacher of 15 years, has returned to Shorewood as a library aide.
Since she was little, Schwinn had ambitions of becoming a teacher.
“I was one of those kids who had a blackboard that they lined their dolls up in front of and played being a teacher,” said Schwinn. “My grandmother was a teacher, and I think that had a lot of influence on me. I think I always wanted to be a teacher.”
Schwinn previously taught multiple different social studies classes; she acknowledges that her switch to an aide seemed to be at the perfect time within her career.
“I really expected that seeing my old classroom different and seeing somebody else in there teaching was going to be a lot more emotional for me than it has been,” Schwinn said. “That’s how I know it was the right time to stop teaching. I was ready to hand it on.”
Although knowing it was the right time to resign from teaching, Schwinn felt that her journey at Shorewood was not over.
“[My favorite part of teaching is] kids,” Schwinn said. “That’s why I’m here, because I have my favorite part without any of the parts I really hated, like grading, scrambling to be sure my lesson plans were good enough, and having to call parents.”
Schwinn values spending time with the students at Shorewood.
“I miss kids and I love the people that I work with,” Schwinn said. “This is a really good place to work in terms of just people being great, but just being able to spend time with kids. You guys are way more fun than people my age, and I would much rather spend my day with you guys than playing shuffleboard somewhere.”
Courtney Erxleben:
Courtney Erxlerben is a new health aide at SHS.
Erxleben graduated from East Tennessee State University, with a background rooted in health care.
“I worked in a hospital previously, so I’ve worked in healthcare administration and a lab medical tech,” said Erxleben.
When asked why she specifically chose to work at Shorewood, Erxleben highlighted her particularity for working with high schoolers.
“I love the schedule, love [all the] family time [I have],” Erxleben said. “When I found out the position was open, I thought it’d be a fun new experience.”
Erxleben has coached high schoolers for over 13 years.
“I just love working with the high school age group,” Erxleben said. “I think that one of the best parts is just seeing that people can take ownership of their own care.”
Erxleben also highlighted some specific goals she has as her time at Shorewood begins.
“I’d like everyone to feel comfortable coming to the office if they need me,” Erxleben said. “Just give some educational tools so people can help advocate for their own health when needed.”