“I teach fifth- through eighth-grade English, and then I teach (grades) five and six music and technology,” Tatro said. “I also teach seventh- and eighth-grade math and science.”
Tatro wears a few more hats lately, having been named Grant County Teacher of the Year for 2024, and then becoming a finalist for 2025 North Dakota Teacher of the Year. “I was nominated for Grant County Teacher of the Year,” Tatro said, “and I was really honored that somebody thought enough of me to nominate me for that award.”
“I was nominated for Grant County Teacher of the Year and I was really honored that somebody thought enough of me to nominate me for that award.”
She said she almost didn’t apply for the state award, because of the extensive application form. “But I figured somebody thought enough of me to nominate me for county Teacher of the Year. I'm just going to go for it. So, when I got the call the summer that I was a finalist, I was totally surprised because our state is just filled with amazing educators.”
Tatro has been both industrious and a North Dakotan her whole life. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s from Minot State University, and her first teaching position was in Glen Ullin, where she taught sixth grade. “I was there for three years, and then a position opened up here,” she said. Carson had just two teachers for their junior high, so Tatro and her colleague split up courses based on their areas of expertise. She taught English and social studies classes.
Her first year of teaching in Carson was in 2019-20, which ended abruptly in March when COVID closed schools across the state. When they came back in the fall, the other junior high teacher didn’t return, and the position was left unfilled for three years.
“For three years, I was the only junior high teacher,” Tatro said. “We figured out how to split up all that extra stuff between the staff members. Our kindergarten teacher took on junior high science, our principal took on some math, and we just kind of split up and figured out who can cover what. Last year, we were able to hire someone finally.”
While teaching in a small school district can mean having to stretch yourself a bit thin, Tatro fully acknowledges that it brings with it many more benefits. “We have a really supportive community,” Tatro said. “I felt that growing up, and I still feel that today. …
I feel really appreciative to all those people and that I got to grow up in a small community and I get to teach in my home community and try my best to give these students a good education.”
