Bixby North Elementary’s Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Kasbaum, has 25 years of teaching experience and has found her niche in 1st grade, following in the footsteps of her mother, who also taught 1st grade. Mrs. Kasbaum prefers coffee over tea, summer over winter, and dogs over cats.
Mrs. Kasbaum says that she was always told she was just like her mom, and that she would be a teacher, too. She started college as a business major, before realizing that she is “meant to be a teacher.” She says that her mother was her “role model for everything,” and her "greatest influence.”
Mrs. Kasbaum remembers her time as a second grader, when she was always talking and ready to move, so her teacher, Mrs. O, gave her tasks to help with rather than admonishing her. She realized only when she had become a teacher what Mrs. O was doing, so she reached out and said,“Thank you for seeing me.” Because of this experience, she now strives to make her students feel like “they have purpose.”
Mrs. Kasbaum has many memories from her time as a teacher, and her favorites include watching her students “making discoveries,” and being little humans.
Advice she would give to future teachers centers on classroom management, and creating a “cozy and loving” environment in the classroom.
Her passion for teaching is nothing short of inspiring, and BPS is lucky to have her! Congratulations Mrs. Kasbaum!