The team of Cotter English teachers has gained a new member.

David Sobolewski was hired by Cotter in 2014 as an educational media specialist, becoming involved in technology, the gradebook system, Chromebooks, as well as monitoring media center activity. For the 2015-2016 school year, Sobolowski was asked expand his role to become a teacher. He found a spot in the English department, taking a 7th hour class of juniors.

“In April of last year, I expressed an interest to teach a website design class. But, I am a certified English teacher in Minnesota. They had an English slot to cover so I decided to take that one. The 11th grade class is rather big, and they didn’t have anyone to cover for that. I am teaching my class in tandem with Mr. Jim Miller. We’re trying to keep our classes in sync as much as possible.”

“He’s helping me with technology, including it more in the curriculum. I have done mentorships similar to this in the past, but not in this capacity” said Mr. Miller, who has been teaching English in Winona for over 30 years.

Sobolewski likes to keep his classroom in “controlled chaos”, led by discussion and research.

“I really like 11th and 12th graders. It allows them to create more discussion based learning opportunities.”

“I’m a lot more tech savvy. To start off the Emily Dickinson unit, we said ‘Hey! Here’s a list of things to know. Go find them and plug them into a Google document.’”

Miller agrees.

“His know-how for technology pays big dividends in keeping students engaged. David has innovative ways to introduce materials, and it’s very refreshing. He makes accessing materials enthusiastic.”

Sobolewski, who triple-majored in English, education, and communications at the University of St. Thomas, has taught online and corporate education, as well as other high schools. He also worked at Fastenal prior to his employment at Cotter.

Miller is excited about Sobolewski’s future as a teacher and a member of the Cotter community.

“David is a young teacher who will inspire students to do well. He is well-received by the students, and is looked at as someone they can come to for help.”