‘It’s everything’: Three generations support kids at one elementary school

Three generations of women are teaching children at John Harris Elementary this year.

Robin Mediger has been teaching kindergarten at the school for more than 25 years. Ten years ago, her mother, Carolyn Stolp, joined as an education assistant. And this year, Robin’s daughter, Kaylee Mediger, is teaching third grade in the same building.

Together, the three women support each other in the same field and encourage each other in their work. If any of them needs help, they know they can rely on each other, Kaylee said.

“It’s everything,” said Kaylee, who is 23 and in her second year of teaching. “With teaching, you constantly have questions. Knowing these two have my back no matter what, it makes it easier to do my job.”

It all started in Watertown when Carolyn volunteered in the classroom when Robin was in kindergarten. The now 68-year-old loved being around children, and it was convenient to be on the same schedule as her children, including holidays and summer vacation.

Because of this, Robin saw her mom make a difference for herself and her friends’ education, and she knew from an early age she wanted to do the same.

After graduating from Augustana University, Robin was a substitute teacher for a year before joining John Harris Elementary. She has remained ever since.

“I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I can remember,” said Robin, 48. “I remember thinking each year that I would be just like the teachers I loved, but I wasn’t going to be like teachers I didn’t like.”

Each time Carolyn and her husband, who was a Lutheran pastor, moved, Carolyn would get a job with the local school system. After moving to Sioux Falls, she was connected to John Harris through Robin, volunteering in her kindergarten classroom for a couple of weeks until a position opened up as an education assistant.

“I love it when a student I’ve been in a classroom with before remembers me,” Carolyn said. “I didn’t always have a title like ‘Mrs. Stolp,’ so they would call me Grandma Carolyn. When those kids grew up to be fifth graders, they would still come up to me and say, ‘Hi, Grandma Carolyn.”

It’s the same story for Kaylee, who attended John Harris Elementary growing up and saw her mom’s impact on students. She helped Robin in the classroom growing up, understanding the process and work involved with teaching. She would even come home and help her mom in the classroom during college breaks.

After teaching at another school last year, she took an opening at John Harris for the new school year.

“I wanted to be like my grandma and mom,” Kaylee said. “That’s why I went into this field.”

And while they’re all working in different spaces, they still have a shared bond, and they value the time they get to spend with each other at work.

“I’ve learned a lot about who I am already,” Robin said. “I have my mom here, and I’m a lot like my mom. I see my daughter here, and I’m a lot of my daughter.”

In time, there might even be another Mediger joining John Harris. Robin’s second daughter, Jaren, is student teaching at Cleveland Elementary this year and will join the workforce once she graduates college.

Overall, it’s the connections with their students that keep each of them returning to the school every year, knowing the impact first-hand of having teachers who inspire you.

“Every year, if you can establish those connections,” Robin said, “then hopefully they made memories and want to grow up and be a great teacher growing up too.”

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