After only one short year at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Upper School History teacher Amy Weisgram is moving on to the next chapter of her life. Weisgram began teaching at SPA in the fall of 2013, and was drawn to the school because of its incredible reputation.
“I wanted to be able to teach in a school that really offered deep and meaningful conversations about history,” Weisgram said.
Before joining the school’s faculty, she taught at Benilde-St. Margaret’s school, another private school in the Twin Cities area.
Weisgram taught part time this year, and as SPA’s faculty is undergoing major changes, the school decided to go with another candidate for the full time position. “That’s the main reason I’m leaving,” Weisgram said. “But I also have fun stuff ahead too.”
“It’s been really fun to see the kids grow and flourish and become passionate about history,” Weisgram said. She has enjoyed watching as students realize “history can be interesting and engaging, rather than something that’s sometimes considered dull.”
Her favorite moments of teaching have been the daily events with her students. “Working with students every day is by far my favorite part of teaching,” Weisgram said. She finds joy when her students are able to “connect ancient history to modern current events and understand that history is context for the world we’re living in now”
Once Weisgram leaves SPA, her role will switch back to that of a student. “I’m going to go to law school,” she said.
Weisgram has a passion for civic education, and has worked on and off with teachers and students on how to teach civics. “A law degree is going to allow me to become the director of a foundation that does that,” she said. “It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’ll be fun to be the student again.”