Carolyn (Strand) Job
Fifth Grade Teacher


From custodian, to para-educator, to full-time teacher, Carolyn (Strand) Job’s path to become an educator is a unique one. Sitting in her fifth grade classroom at Sunnycrest Elementary, Job shared, “You cannot teach if you don’t have a passion for it,” and there was no doubt that she is very passionate about what she does. From her classroom decorations to the way she spoke about her curriculum and students, she loves being able to help children learn.

Job was born and raised in Lake Stevens. She also had the unique experience of going to three elementary schools in the Lake Stevens School District: Hillcrest, Mt. Pilchuck and Sunnycrest. She then went on to Lake Stevens Middle School and Lake Stevens High School where she graduated in 1978.

In 1983, Job began working as a custodian in the Lake Stevens School District and then worked as a para-educator for nine years at Sunnycrest and Hillcrest Elementary. However, becoming a teacher had always been a dream vocation.

While working as a para-educator, Job decided that she wanted to have a classroom of her own. One teacher that influenced her decision to become an educator was Linda Kline, who taught Job’s son in second grade. “The more I volunteered, the more it solidified that I wanted to be in the classroom, I wanted to help the children—help them learn how to read, help them with their math facts, teaching them those things,” Job explained.

She received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Western Washington University in 1998 and began teaching fifth grade at Sunnycrest that same year. In 2002, Job received her master’s degree in elementary education from Antioch University.

This is Job’s 14th year working as a fifth grade teacher at Sunnycrest. She explained that her favorite part of teaching is when her students are fully engaged and can’t wait to share what they have learned.

Carolyn must have passed her passion for teaching on to her son, as he is now a teacher in the Monroe School District!

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Samantha Grospe
First Grade Teacher

In Mrs. Grospe’s first grade class at Sunnycrest Elementary, reading is one of their primary focuses. “I am growing readers,” says Grospe. She explains to her students that readers do two very important things: read and think.
Samantha (Korzelius) Grospe wanted to be a teacher since she was eight years old. Being the oldest of five children, Grospe would bring worksheets home for her brothers and sisters and would try to be the teacher. She credits her second grade teacher for being her inspiration to teach. She was also influenced by other teachers she had while attending Lake Stevens Schools.
Grospe moved to Lake Stevens with her family from Everett when she was in sixth grade. She attended North Lake Middle School where Home Economics was her favorite class. While she attended high school, Grospe was on the swim team and looked up to her coach, Sarah Summers. Another teacher she looked up to was Roger Anderson, “I loved learning from him and being able to draw information from him.”
After she graduated from LSHS in 1999, Grospe went on to pursue a career in education. She received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Western Washington University in 2006 and her master’s degree in elementary education with a focus in differentiated instruction from Antioch University in 2009.
Grospe is in her sixth year of teaching in the Lake Stevens School District and her fifth year at Sunnycrest. She enjoys the friendly community at Sunnycrest and the supportive staff members.
 

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Sue (Edeen) Seling
Third Grade Teacher

Sue Seling was born and raised in Lake Stevens; in fact, her great-grandparents migrated here from Sweden! Seling also raised her family in Lake Stevens and has never had a desire to leave. She described how she loves the sense of community in Lake Stevens, how it has a small town feel even though it has grown since she was a kid, the feeling that everyone is looking out for one another, and the family involvement.
During her time in Lake Schools, she loved her experience here; it is what inspired her to become an educator. “My teachers were my heroes growing up,” Seling explained. Her fourth grade teacher, Ms. Hendrickson, is one teacher in particular that influenced Seling’s decision. She always knew that she wanted to be a teacher and had hoped to return to the Lake Stevens School District to make that dream a reality.
 After she graduated from Lake Stevens High School in 1972, she took a different route and entered the corporate world. She worked for GTE until they left Washington. Seling went back to school and received her bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University in 2006 and her master’s degree from Antioch University in 2010, both in elementary education.
This school year is Seling’s seventh year teaching at Sunnycrest Elementary school where she teaches third grade. In her classroom, Seling has a quote on her wall by Dan Miller that says, “Long after a child has forgotten what you taught him, he will remember how you made him feel.” She models her teaching after this quote and tries to teach her students the importance of character and what they can bring to their classroom, school, and ultimately the community.

 

 

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