Excellent Educator: The Runkes From Grandview Middle School

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – If we had an Excellent Educator "family" award, this would be the week to give it. Students at Grandview Middle School nominated their teacher Margaret Runke.  But her husband, who also teaches there, has quite a few fans too.

We visited them both in this week's Excellent Educator.

You could call Margaret Runke the jack of all trades in the classroom. She's taught kindergarten all the way through 7th grade math.

"You know, I honestly love them all for different reasons," she said.  "At 7th grade I pull out some of my kindergarten methods and I'll start singing and dancing, and they're right back in there. They love it, even though they deny it sometimes."

Not one, but three students nominated Margaret.

"It makes me feel great. It makes me feel what I'm doing is making a difference," she said.

No one knows Margaret's passion for teaching better than Mr. Runke.

"She's really dedicated to the profession. She puts her time and energy into it," Doug Runke said.

Doug, Margaret's husband, teaches 5th grade science two floors below.

"We'll stop in each other's classrooms, especially during the hockey season. It might be my only time to see her, stopping in during the school day," he said.

Doug coaches hockey at Grandview and life can get hectic with two small children at home, but they give each other support.

"It works out very well. Little stuff like, I drop the kids off, we switch keys, she picks the kids up," he said.

While she has the extra encouragement from her husband, Margaret's ability to follow her own definition of excellence is what makes her so deserving of this award.

"An excellent educator is someone that is willing to put their whole heart into what they're doing, really honestly care about the school and the kids," Margaret said.

Teaching runs in Margaret's family. Her mom is a para, four aunts are teachers and many more cousins teach as well.