Gracing the halls and enlightening the classrooms at Cotter this year is new teacher Allison Wagner. Mrs. Wagner teaches 7-8 English, as well as Transitional English.

Mrs. Wagner comes from a family of four, consisting of her mother, father, and little brother, and is married to Matt Wagner, an art teacher.

Her experience with Cotter, and Winona, so far has been favorable, “I love it. Everyone is so welcoming, Surprisingly, there is a lot to do here! There are also a lot of places to hike, which I love.”

Graduating from Winona State in 2013, Wagner went on to teach English in Gothenburg, Sweden for grades 7-8, and the following year she moved to Austin, MN, to do the same before coming to Cotter.

“Teaching in Sweden was great. The students were great and my co-workers were awesome.” Wagner explained. “We also really liked Sweden as a place to live-it’s actually very similar to Minnesota… The people are pretty similar and the landscape is almost identical in some parts. I see why our ancestors moved here from Scandinavia.” 

Teaching English is a passion for Wagner: “One of my favorite parts: When students are enjoying a book, a project, or whatever we’re doing in class so much that they don’t even realize class is almost over.”

“Mrs. Wagner is a great teacher, I really enjoy her as both a teacher and a friend,” said  Mercedes Kauphusman, current Cotter 8th grader.

Mrs. Wagner enjoys reading, hiking, and travelling. While not necessarily having specific favorite genres, she enjoys of young adult books and the classics.  One favorite book is East of Eden by John Steinbeck, with the ‘Harry Potter’ series being a close contender.

Back to the topic of her interest in hiking though, Wagner loves the proximity of trails to her home here. Her favorite place to hike being The Great River Bluffs State Park, as well as areas north of Duluth. Her interest in hiking also correlates with her love of travelling.

“Ever since I moved back from Sweden, I try to travel every chance I get.”

Wagner’s favorite places to travel? The fjords in Norway, and Paris, France.

“I always thought you had to have a lot of money to travel, when really you just spend your money differently. We save up and choose to spend that money on going to new places rather than on a restaurant or new clothes. ”

Allison Wagner is  intelligent and adventurous with a desire and capability to pass on knowledge of the English language to her pupils.

Hike on over to the first floor of Roger Bacon and introduce yourself to Mrs. Allison Wagner, she will be happy to see you.