Veteran teacher takes on new roles

Although this is Kathy Bachrach’s 21st first day at Helena Flats School, she isn’t quite sure what to expect today. She is playing a different role than she has ever played at the school before.

Actually, she’s playing several.

For her first 12 years at Helena Flats School, Bachrach taught kindergarten and was the gifted and talented program coordinator. Then she taught fifth grade for eight years.

This year she is a part-time counselor and part-time music teacher. She also is the coordinator for the Olweus anti-bullying program.

Preparing for her many roles kept her busier than usual over the last couple of months.

“I didn’t get to read a good book this summer,” she said.

Bachrach took on her new roles primarily because Helena Flats’ middle school is moving to a departmentalized schedule. The sixth, seventh and eighth grades will switch classes as in a traditional middle school. Fifth-graders will stay in one classroom, but different teachers will come to their room to teach different subjects.

With fifth-graders following the middle school schedule, Bachrach was no longer needed in the classroom. Last spring, while the school sought to juggle its schedule and eliminate a $70,000 budget shortfall, Bachrach agreed to take on the counseling and Olweus positions. She also planned to work as the school’s gifted and talented program coordinator and advise the student council.

But then, about two weeks ago, the school’s music teacher resigned, and Bachrach jumped at the opportunity to take her place, even though it meant giving up her roles as gifted and talented coordinator and student council adviser.

She has been a musician for the last 40 years. But with a 16-year-old daughter at home and few options for playing music during the school year beyond the late-night bar scene, Bachrach didn’t have an outlet for her musical abilities.

Teaching music will restore that outlet, she said. It will also give Bachrach the one thing she expected to miss this year: a classroom.

Instructing an entire classroom of students and instilling a love of lifelong learning are why Bachrach became a teacher, she said. While she has a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Montana and enjoys working with students in that capacity, she loves “being thematic and being able to do units” with an entire class.

As Helena Flats’ music teacher, she will teach kindergarten through fourth-grade students. Older students will be able to take a band elective, which will be taught by other teachers, Bachrach said.

For the youngest students, Bachrach is planning themed music units reminiscent of “Sesame Street” with things like “This class is brought to you by the letter W,” she said.

The first couple weeks “will be brought to you by Australia,” Bachrach said. She has a unit she had prepared for her fifth-graders after visiting Australia two years ago with a group of middle school ambassadors in the People to People international student travel program.

Bachrach has a slide show of photos from her trip, a didgeridoo she bought in Australia and a slew of Aussie-themed songs such as “Waltzing Matilda” to teach students.

For older kids, Bachrach will host “Ms. B’s Street Choir.” As long as it is appropriate for school and Bachrach can play it on her guitar, students will be encouraged to bring in music to share with the class.

“I want them to be able to sing songs they love,” she said. “My goal is for them to get out [of the class] and love music.”

Bachrach said she doesn’t want her students to have the same experience she did in music class. When she was a student, she didn’t like the songs in music class, and her teachers didn’t like the way she sang.

“I have a really raspy, blues swing voice, and they would try to make me sing like an opera singer,” she said.

In addition to sharing her love of music in the music room, Bachrach plans to incorporate music into her role as school counselor. She says she will use songs “to connect with kids in a fun way.”

She hopes her office will help that connection. A stuffed bear chair — something Principal Ann Minckler found at a yard sale — sits in the corner. Plush animals sit in other chairs, a stack of board games are on a shelf and cheerful posters cover the walls.

“I just tried to make it really warm and friendly and approachable,” Bachrach said.

She plans on continuing the “girls group” the school started to teach middle school girls how to interact with one another in positive ways. Girls who choose to participate can talk with one another about friendship, boys and other issues that take on vital importance starting around fifth grade.

Bachrach will also help the school implement a nationwide character education program, Character Counts!, and will take students whose organizational skills need a boost through “organizational boot camp.”

Despite her many roles, Bachrach said she is looking forward to the new school year.

“I think it’ll be an adjustment,” she said. “It’ll take a little juggling, but it’ll come together.”

Several schools start today:

Helena Flats is one of many schools in Flathead County whose first day is this week.

Cayuse Prairie, Creston, Evergreen, Fair-Mont-Egan, Kila, Marion, Pleasant Valley and St. Matthew’s schools all begin today.

Most Kalispell students also go back to school today. High school sophomores, juniors and seniors start Thursday, and kindergarteners, after attending an open house at their elementary schools today, will attend every other day until Sept. 3.

Columbia Falls and West Glacier students go back to school Thursday.

Most other schools in the valley start next week, although a couple start after Labor Day.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.