Mary Huntoon was born and raised in Palm Springs, California. Her entire family, including mother, Anita, siblings Alicia and Julius, and niece and nephews, AJ, Brian, and Gio, still reside there. But while attending the University of Michigan, she fell in love with the city and wanted to call Ann Arbor home.
Graduating from Palm Springs High School and growing up playing water polo, she knew she wanted to play the sport at a collegiate level. This drive led her to look into attending the University of Southern California, the University of California, Berkeley, or the University of Michigan.
“To be honest, I had my heart set on USC, but after my recruiting trip to Ann Arbor, I became absolutely infatuated with this charming college town,” Huntoon recalls. “It was a no-brainer after that first Ann Arbor experience. I was coming to Michigan.”
That was in 2005. After graduating from U-M with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in education, she was offered a position to teach in a second-grade classroom at Burns Park Elementary in 2010. (Fun fact: she received the call while standing in line at the Haunted Mansion ride while visiting Disneyland—making it the greatest day of her life at that point.)
Burns Park was the school she was assigned to student-teach during her year in ELMAC, so she felt more than ready to hit the ground running. She’s been teaching at Burns Park ever since. This is her 15th year teaching at Burns Park—eight years teaching second grade and seven years teaching first.
What inspired you to become a first-grade teacher?
My whole life, I’ve had this innate care for the well-being of others and have always wanted to make this world a better place in some way. I believe I absorbed this trait from watching the work of my mom and dad. As far back as I can remember, I have memories of their relentless kindness (especially towards strangers, or people who were down on their luck), and ways in which they would dedicate themselves to helping those around them. My parents’ model of living to make this world a better place inspired me to go into education. When thinking of career choices, I couldn’t help but envision the opportunity to change the world in some small way by potentially passing these traits of hard work, kindness, compassion, love, and learning to my students every day.
Can you describe a typical day in your classroom?
Routine, inquisition, movement, and fun are the building blocks of each day in our classroom. Students come in knowing what to expect to start the day. They walk in, start their morning choice, engage and interact with one another, then it’s off to our morning meeting to get everyone previewing the schedule and gearing up for the day to come. We end each day with a closing circle to review how the day went and check in on our thoughts and feelings. We always want students to start and end their school day feeling regulated, happy, and accomplished!
What strategies do you use to engage students with different learning styles?
Using visuals, movement, and incorporating student voices to engage in learning are always helpful tools in pulling student participation and buy-in. These strategies ensure that all students are feeling valued, seen, and heard, and that they are being provided with a learning environment in some form. The more these elements are incorporated into the day, the more confidence you see in students. It is a beautiful snowball effect!
Do you have any tips for classroom management?
The Responsive Classroom “First Six Weeks of School” is our bread and butter for laying the foundation for classroom management. It is all about getting students into the driver’s seat of their learning environment. We start off asking students what their hopes and dreams are for their school year. What do they want to learn and accomplish? Students then ask themselves what kind of learning environment they think they would need to have in order to achieve these big Hopes and Dreams. The students then come up with a list of classroom agreements that they would all need to follow in order for everyone to achieve their hopes and dreams. Giving themselves the power to come up with these agreements and hold each other accountable to maintain this learning environment really sets the tone for each day.
We also normalize that sometimes we will have great days, and sometimes we will have not-so-great days, and that is OK! We also stress that sometimes our feelings become dysregulated, and sadness, frustration, or anger may rise at times. For these emotional behaviors, we use a Social Emotional Curriculum called TRAILS. The Responsive Classroom and TRAILS curricula are a powerhouse resource in behavior and classroom management!
What do you like about working for AAPS, and at Burns Park in particular?
The staff at Burns Park has become family. I can honestly say I love my job because of the people I’m surrounded by. I have been teaching here for 15 years, and the teachers that have walked these halls have filled my heart and spirit with love and you-can-do-it-ness. I feel beyond lucky to get to be surrounded by these colleagues of mine. I can honestly say anyone you interact with has your back at heart and will be there for you in a second if you need them. I love them. I am so unbelievably lucky to get to work in this community of teachers. You need to laugh, cry, vent, or a hug, you can open just about any door and find someone ready with open arms.
The students, families, and communities are the next in line for having your back as a teacher. This parent community is unlike any I’ve ever experienced. If you need anything at all, they will get to work to support you immediately. This parent community cares about the teachers just as much as the students, and you can feel it in the outreach and care displayed each and every day.
Can you share a success story of helping a struggling student?
We focus on developing and nurturing a Growth Mindset daily in our classroom. This is the idea that everyone can achieve and grow in skillset and learning. It is fighting against the “I can’t” mentality. It is one of the toughest things to instill in students who are struggling. To get them to see themselves as capable and that they can do any task in front of them can be really challenging. At the beginning of this year, I had a student who was really stuck in the “I can’t” mentality. It broke my heart because I saw and knew that he, in fact, could achieve in every moment he said he couldn’t. With every small accomplishment he achieved, when he originally said he couldn’t, I saw his belief in himself grow. I also saw the “I can’t” in him shrink away until it disappeared altogether. This student now says, “I can do it!” anytime something seems challenging at first glance. And guess what, he does! This is what keeps me going. It’s not instant, and it takes time (sometimes all year), but to see that light and that transformation is exactly why I choose this career every single day.
Fifteen years ago, you got your class involved in a pen pal partnership with the University of Michigan Water Polo Team. How do your students like that?
It started off as a reason to stay in touch with my old teammates, but over the years, it has grown to be so much more! While writing, students continuously think about purpose. They have found that writing can really bring people together in such a meaningful way, especially in today’s world, where everything is just a digital communication away. With this process, students really take time to appreciate the written letters and the excitement that comes with the anticipation of a response from the players. I’ve known some students to remain pen pals with their players for years after they leave my class. It’s really special to see these relationships blossom. We also take a walking field trip to the University of Michigan pool to meet the players, watch them train, and get a tour of the facilities. This stopped a bit after COVID, but we are starting back up the tradition of organizing the class to attend a home game at some point during the season. It’s a really wonderful way to get kids excited about writing and discovering, and learning about a unique sport they may have never heard of!
Outside of teaching, what hobbies or interests do you enjoy?
I still play water polo with my Master’s Water Polo team, Wolverine Water Polo, twice a week. (If anyone reading this is interested in joining, please contact me!) My team would laugh reading this cause my attendance is always shaky!
I also have always loved musical theater, so I joined the Burns Park Players community theater group about 12 or so years ago!
These two groups of people I also consider family. They have filled my life with laughter and love, and my life wouldn’t be the same without these two organizations and the people that fill them.
If you weren’t a teacher, what career might you have pursued?
Interior designer. Without hesitation. I still dream of launching an interior design career somewhere down the road. Right now, I just use my classroom and home as inspiration. My husband (if he has read this far) will laugh because I am constantly going down rabbit holes on how to improve our living spaces. I love you, Greg!!!!
Favorite meal at your favorite Ann Arbor restaurant:
Isalita (closed now). I’m hoping one day the owner will find a way to bring it back to life! I always celebrate the memory of my dad on the day of his death, eating here and drinking a classico margarita. I miss you, Dad.
What are you excited about these days?
My husband, Greg Huntoon, and I are on the verge of welcoming our first child into the world! We are due on May 17th, and we couldn’t be more excited and terrified to start this journey into parenthood. I have to end this interview by letting the world know how incredible my husband is (Thanks to Dave, Wendy and Mari!). While my parents may have inspired me to make this world a better place, my husband inspires me to be a better human every day. Greg is also a teacher and coach, and this man is the true model of what humanity should be. Greg, you make me the luckiest person alive. You are the partner everyone wishes they could have, but rarely do. Thank you for always being here for me and our little family. I love you.
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