The wisdom of sisters
Kristy, left, and Kim Gange. (Chris Peterson photo)
By CHRIS PETERSON
Hungry Horse News
Kim Gange doesn’t have to travel far to visit her sister, Kristy. She’s right down the hall.
The two women have been teaching at Columbia Falls Junior High for decades now.
Kim taught eighth-grade English for 20 years before becoming the school’s librarian eight years ago. Kristy has taught a multitude of grades in Columbia Falls over the years, including second, fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth grades.
Kristy currently teaches sixth-grade science.
The two grew up in Duluth, Minnesota. Kim, the older of two, came to Montana with some friends after graduating from North Dakota with degrees in English and Norwegian. She didn’t even think about being a teacher until after college when she started working with kids in a summer job.
“Hey,” she thought. “I could be a teacher.”
She got her teaching certification and got a job at the junior high and never left.
Kristy came out West after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. She planned on going to Seattle, but stopped to visit Kim and ended up staying as she got a long-term substitute teaching job at the old Canyon Elementary in 1997.
Today, the two say the junior high is a good place to be and teach. They’re longtime friends with teacher Jen Robbins — they grew up together and Robbins ended up in Columbia Falls as well.
One year the sisters taught the same English class together, which was fun.
Kim transferred to the library when the previous librarian retired.
“I wanted to talk to kids about books,” she said.
Some kids say they don’t like to read. That’s not true, Kim tells them.
“You just haven’t found the right book,” she said.
For Kristy, she strives to make science fun and interesting.
This year, for example, they already studied fecal transplants — a medical procedure that helps people with intestinal problems.
They’re reaching the point in their careers where they’re teaching the second generation of families. They’ve also taught a lot of people who are now teachers in the district themselves, like Austin Barth, Samantha Jones, Ellie Johnson-Green and Austin Green, just to name a few.
They’ve also extended their careers into coaching as well. Kim was an assistant coach for the speech and debate team for five years and Kristy coached junior high volleyball for 10 years.
The two say they recharge their proverbial batteries each summer at a family property in South Dakota.
“I’m grateful and thankful that I get to essentially start over every year,” Kristy said.
What makes a good teacher? Both say you need to be invested in and care about your students.
“You need to invest in their lives and want to help them,” Kim said.
Their advice to young teachers?
“Find something to love about each kid,” Kim said. “It’s not that hard.”