FAIRMONT– Emily Labes has been named Fairmont Area School’s “Teacher of the Year.” Labes is an elementary music teacher.

Labes graduated from Fairmont High School in 2004. She then attended Wartburg College where she majored in music therapy and music education.

She has always had an interest in music. She began piano lessons when she was in second grade. She tried our orchestra for a year and joined band in 5th grade, continuing with it through high school.

“My dream job was to be a music therapist in a children’s hospital. After my internship, I moved back to Fairmont and was job searching. A friend encouraged me to start my own practice, giving lessons and doing music therapy,” Labes explained.

She did that full-time but was working with a lot of adults and her passion was working with children.

“I knew there was going to be a shift in the music department and I was pregnant with my oldest daughter at the time, so I did some self-reflection and decided to give the teaching world a shot and applied for the job,” Labes said.

She did part-time work for two years and then moved into a full-time role at Fairmont Elementary, receiving her own classroom. She has been full-time at Fairmont Elementary for seven years.

“I wouldn’t look back again. It was the best move I ever could have made,” she said.

Labes said she teaches what some call classroom music, or general music.

“It’s literally music in general from note reading, rhythm, genres. We play basic percussion instruments and we do a lot of singing,” Labes explained.

She enjoys the diversity in the age range that she gets. She teaches preschool music and third through sixth grade. She also does third through sixth-grade choir so she can be seen on stage at school concerts, which haven’t taken place in a while.

Labes said they had to cancel the spring concert and recently called off the Christmas concert as well.

“It’s pretty sad that they won’t have the opportunity to be on stage. It’s always fun to see them with their hair done, wearing nice clothes and they feel so special,” Labes said.

She said she is hopeful a spring concert can take place in 2021.

“The number one thing I miss is the personal interaction. Engagement is difficult. They need to do their math and reading and specials can take the back burner,” Labes said of distance learning.

She said a bright spot has been doing music and movement about once a month, which is a short video in conjunction with fellow teachers Haley Loerts and Kim Breamer where they dance and move to music.

When asked what her favorite part of her job is, Labes said, “the best thing is that the kids view coming to my class as fun. They don’t necessarily view it as a class. My favorite thing I’ve heard is them say, ‘I wish you were a real teacher.’ It took me a while to grasp what they meant by that. They’re learning, they really are. Concerts and assessments show that they’re learning, but it’s fun for them.”

Labes said learning she was named Teacher of the Year for Fairmont Schools this year was a really humbling experience.

“I saw the list and I was up against really good teachers. When you look at it, you take a step back and realize your colleagues selected you for this award. It made me feel good, especially being a specialist, my colleagues noticed the importance of the fine arts in our district,” Labes said.

She was originally nominated by her colleague Haley Lorets, who teaches K-6 fit and well.

“Emily is very deserving of this award because of her passion for teaching, her flexibility and willingness to always help out, her dedication to the Staff Wellness Committee, and the fun, positive environment she provides her students through her classes and choir groups,” Loerts said.

Next, Labes will submit a portfolio to the state competition to be put in the running for Minnesota State Teacher of the Year.

“I love teaching. It is a joy every day to see the students and sing with them and make music. Sometimes I think I have more fun than they do,” Labes said.