NAMPA — Kids at Willow Creek Elementary ran out to recess last Monday, giggling and shouting. As teacher Jennifer Petersen made her way to her portable classroom, one student stopped her with a big hug.
Petersen has been a teacher for over 15 years and is entering her seventh year at Willow Creek, now as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. As an English language specialist, Petersen works with kindergarten, first- and fifth-grade students.
She was recently awarded a 2024 Vandal Outstanding Educator Award from the University of Idaho. The award is for teachers who have profoundly impacted and empowered students through their work. Petersen was nominated and then selected by a team of university faculty and staff.
Petersen’s path into education wasn’t simple. Before considering teaching, she planned to attend law school and worked as a legal aide.
“When my son was born, I just thought more about, ‘What do I really want to do?’ and I just always loved working with kids,” she said.
Petersen’s roots working with English language learners (ELLs) goes back 15 years. In Reno, Nevada, Petersen worked at a school where 50% of students were ELLs.
“We had a lot of students that were coming to us in kindergarten, not really having spoken a lot of English at home before then,” Petersen said.
While Willow Creek has a lesser need than her previous school, Petersen is one of two ESL teachers at the elementary.
The school has an ELL population of approximately 18%, according to Petersen.
Petersen enjoys seeing the progress students make, from the first day she works with them to years later.
“We can make sure they are progressing,” she said.
Initially, Petersen came to Willow Creek as a first-grade teacher. The current fifth-grade cohort consists of her former students.
“They’re more comfortable with me,” Petersen said. “And it’s building those connections with them, to help them feel more comfortable, to help push them so that they can get better.”
Willow Creek’s teachers practice co-teaching to incorporate their knowledge into students’ classrooms. With collaborative prep time, Petersen works with classroom teachers to refine their lesson plans, rather than pulling individual kids out of class.
Petersen spends her days rolling between classrooms with materials on a cart to visit classrooms and participate in lessons.
She works to help students understand academic vocabulary, which encompasses words that families aren’t necessarily using at home. This often entails connecting reading with science or math.
“(We’re) figuring out ways to bridge what they know from their home life and their culture and their language, with what we were teaching in the classroom,” Petersen said.
Students’ needs can vary, coming from a variety of backgrounds. Some were born here, some weren’t.
“What we get to do by going into their classroom, we can kind of figure out what they need in those different stages that they’re at,” Petersen said. “When we’re working across grade levels, we can kind of see their progression.”
Petersen’s son, Jakob Petersen, is studying education and math at the University of Idaho as a junior. Growing up, the two worked and attended the same schools.
“We always went to school together,” Jennifer Petersen said. “Everyone always knew he was Mrs. Peterson’s son.”
When Jakob Peterson heard about the Vandal Outstanding Educator Award, his mom was an obvious pick as a nominee.
“She was a teacher that definitely inspired me the most to want to become a teacher, to be more like her,” Jakob Petersen said. “I obviously have had a lot of influential teachers growing up, but she was No. 1, not only because she’s my mom, but because of all that she does.”
Jakob Petersen isn’t certain about his ambitions after college but has considered becoming a high school math teacher, thanks to his mom. He described her as fun and outgoing while also being an incredibly hard worker.
Jennifer Petersen maintains that teaching younger students is her favorite, as she can see large strides being made within a single school year.
“They’ll come to us in kindergarten with very little English, and then they become the best readers in the class,” she said. “Once they get that language, they can just soar, which is amazing.”
Sometimes, Jennifer Petersen said the students struggling to learn English are the shyest.
“You have these two languages that you can speak and that you can become proficient in, and it’s such an asset,” she said.
She touted Willow Creek as her favorite school to work at, with lovable kids.
“The first grade, I say, is the best grade. They love you before they even meet you, and then they love you the rest of their lives,” Jennifer Petersen said. “I love teaching kiddos how to read. Like that is a passion that I have always had, because they just need that. ... I couldn’t ask for a more rewarding kind of a job, and it’s fun hanging out with kids all day.”
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