Hiebert to retire after 30 years of encouraging young learners

She’s followed in the footsteps of her own first-grade teacher

When Tracy Hiebert was in first grade at Sioux Trail Elementary in the early 1970s, she was inspired by the lessons she learned from her teacher, Cathy Connolly.

It wasn’t just the reading, writing and arithmetic that stuck with Hiebert. It was the way Miss Connolly brought out the best in her and her classmates by encouraging and supporting them every day. That impact stayed with Hiebert and inspired her to become a first-grade teacher herself. Now, after 30 years in the classroom - including the past 23 at Hidden Valley Elementary - she’s retiring this spring. 

“I loved [Miss Connolly] so much because she was very kind and very encouraging. I became her helper in the classroom and she encouraged me to be a leader by picking me to be the emcee of our class program. She even invited me to her wedding that summer,” Hiebert recalled. “I knew then that I wanted to be a first grade teacher and I never changed my mind all the way through elementary school, junior high and high school.”

After graduating from Burnsville High School in 1983, Hiebert earned her teaching degree at Gustavus Adolphus College. When it came time to do her student teaching, Hiebert returned to Burnsville to work with Mrs. Smith - formerly Miss Connolly - who by then was teaching her brother’s third-grade class.

Hiebert began her teaching career in Hopkins and worked there for six years. She then stayed home with her young daughters for eight years before returning to District 191 to teach kindergarten at Edward Neill Elementary. A year later she began as a first grade teacher at her family’s neighborhood school, Hidden Valley Elementary, and she’s continued in that role for the last 23 years.

“I think my goal when we moved here was to be able to teach in my neighborhood school and my daughter’s school, so it was exciting when it happened,” Hiebert said. 

Hiebert has also been a member of the building leadership team at Hidden Valley and has served on the district literacy committee since 2015. She was selected as Hidden Valley Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2005-06. 

Part of the Neighborhood

Hiebert said being able to see her daughters and attend their events were some of the best things about working at Hidden Valley.

“It was really fun. All three of them were in the school while I was teaching here. I loved that I could attend their spelling bees and their programs. When they had soccer, I could go right out the back door after school,” she said. “My daughters had a wonderful experience in Burnsville schools. All of them achieved so well and had so many opportunities through sports, music and academics.”

Hiebert also enjoys the frequent interactions she has with former students she sees when she’s walking around Sunset Pond with her husband or out shopping. 

“Almost every day I see a former student as I’m walking around, and I get a lot of hugs and ‘thank yous,’” she said. 

Even in retirement, Hiebert will continue to be part of Hidden Valley. She plans to volunteer reading with students once a week.

“I’ll come in and read with and to kids. Some kids need a grandma in their life to give them a little extra love and attention,” she said.

Lessons from First Grade

Hiebert said she’s enjoyed teaching first grade in particular because it’s a time when students make so much progress. 

“They make so much growth in first grade,” she said. “Every year it’s motivating to have students come in who can’t read at all, or who read very little, or they can’t do much math, and by the end of the year they are reading and writing and learning math skills. It’s just exponential growth in first grade. That’s one thing that’s been motivating and rewarding for me.”

Motivating students by building their confidence has also been a focus for Hiebert throughout her career. That’s one of the biggest lessons she learned from watching Miss Connolly back at Sioux Trail more than 50 years ago. 

“Seeing students’ strengths and telling them their strengths was so motivating. That’s what I really took from her,” Hiebert said. “She was firm, but she had a caring spirit. When you’re a student and you know your teacher cares about you, you’re willing to do anything for them and try your best.” 

She also encourages students to dream big and think about their futures. She knows the impact that had on her as a first grader, and she’s never stopped trying to pass that on to her own students.

“[Miss Connolly] told me I was a leader and it changed the direction of my life because then I saw myself as a leader. I even ended up being a cheerleading captain at Burnsville High School. It gave me confidence,” Hiebert said. “I realized then the power that a teacher has on kids’ futures. I tell my kids every year to think about their hopes and dreams and what they want to do when they grow up. I tell them that they can. I wanted to be a first grade teacher and I got to do that.”