Brynne Macosko Paguyo

High School:   South High, Minneapolis, Lycee Pontonniers in Strasbourg, France, PSEO at the University of MN, Minneapolis

College:  University of WI Madison
BS Majors in French and Elementary and Junior High School education

I began teaching in high school with after-school science and French classes.  I continued teaching throughout my college years at Loring Nicollet's summer school for elementary students and eventually became the lead teacher of this program.  I got my elementary and junior high teaching certification at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  I also majored in French.  I took a lot of science, history and math classes as well before deciding to go into teaching.  I didn't figure it out until my third year of college!

I love teaching at Southside Family School! When I taught summer school I used social justice issues and history to teach reading. It was so amazing how involved the students were in their learning when we did this! I was so excited to find that an elementary school in Minneapolis (Southside) had social justice education as its mission. I toured the school while I was home from college one winter break. When I graduated from Madison, there was an opening here and I got the job! 19 years later and I am so happily still teaching here.

I have three children: Kina (9 years old, 4th grade) and Elias (Buddy - 6 years old, 1st grade) go to our school and Via (2 years old) is occasionally here as well.   I am married to their dad, Jef, and he is often involved with school events and happenings.

In some of my free time, I do pottery.  I have a studio (with Mel!) in uptown.  I sell my work in our gallery there and in a few stores in Minneapolis.

I love to travel!  I feel so lucky to be a part of a school that has travel study at the forefront of its curriculum.  I have really enjoyed traveling and learning on the many trips our school has taken.  They are the best trips I have been on in my life!  I have been lucky to able to travel in my life outside of school quite a bit as well, traveling to Mexico, around Europe, in parts of Asia and Southern Africa.  Several years ago I received a Fullbright scholarship to travel to Namibia.  Namibia had recently been under the apartheid system of South Africa and I was able to study the young people's resistance and struggle against this system.  I look forward to traveling with our school in the years ahead!

I can't imagine working anywhere else, I love Family School!