When Emily Nerland was young, she went into her father's biology laboratory and pretended to be a teacher.
"It's all I ever wanted to be," Nerland said.
The 30-year teaching veteran was honored Thursday night as the Moorhead School District's teacher of the year.
Nerland, a third-grade teacher at S.G. Reinertsen Elementary, has spent the past 18 years in Moorhead.
She's also taught special education and reading in Moorhead.
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Stephanie McNab, a reading teacher at Reinertsen, said Nerland is a great resource and sounding board for other teachers.
"She has so many neat ideas. We can always ask her for suggestions," McNab said.
McNab praised Nerland's energy and enthusiasm for helping pupils.
"And she's a wonderful person outside the classroom, too," McNab said.
Nerland is active in many community projects and fundraisers.
Teaching runs in the Nerland family.
Her father was a professor at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., and two of her three children are teachers.
Teaching is a good career for anyone who enjoys working with young people and, in the process, learning more about themselves, Nerland said.
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Nerland, 51, plans to teach as long as she can.
"I hope I never quit," Nerland said. "To me, teaching is life-giving."
Each Moorhead school has a teacher of the year in that school. Nerland was chosen the district's teacher of the year from among that group.
Other Moorhead teachers selected by their schools also were honored Thursday.
They are: Darvin Miller, industrial technology teacher at the high school; Deb Hanson, speech language pathologist at Robert Asp Elementary; Alice Swanson, physical education teacher at Horizon Middle School; and Chris Olson, music teacher at Ellen Hopkins Elementary.
Denise Ishaug, a speech language pathologist working in early intervention services, was recognized as off-site teacher of the year.
Also honored Thursday were Steve Grineski and Larry Knutson.
Grineski, a Minnesota State University Moorhead professor who has helped the district with several projects, received the Outstanding Layperson award.
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Knutson, who does radio broadcasts of Moorhead High School games, received the School Bell award, which honors people who help inform the public about education.
Tracy Ritland and Lara Halverson, high school seniors planning careers in education, received scholarships from Education Moorhead, the district's teachers union.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Jonathan Knutson at (701) 241-5530
