Math… a single subject and lone syllable, but even saying it is enough to strike fear in even the best student. That was never the case for Michelle Bremenkamp, the subject of this Teacher Feature. Mrs. Bremenkamp never struggled with math, in fact, she quite enjoyed it throughout elementary and even on through her high school years when math typically becomes exponentially harder.
She enjoyed math so much that she has made a 32 year career out of this single subject. For the past 19 years she has spread her love for the subject to students at Liberal High School. She currently teaches in the same classroom where she spent the junior and senior year of her own high school career. A classroom that has been the site of her tremendous impact on the students and staff of LHS and beyond.
After graduating from Liberal High School, she was uncertain of her future, but while attending Seward County Community College, she found her spot in the world. After years of tutoring and helping her fellow students in high school and then in college, and realizing she could easily make even the most complex equations and formulas simple to others, she had an epiphany… She would become a math teacher.
That’s exactly what she did. After SCCC, she would matriculate to Fort Hays State University where she would earn a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree and then later a Master's of Arts Degree in Teaching. After her bachelor’s and while obtaining her master’s degree, she got right to work. She began teaching in the fall of 1991 and hasn’t looked back since.
“The best part of teaching is working with students; they are the reason I do this job,” Bremenkamp said. “The amazing, hard-working students that come to my classroom, motivate me to come to work every day.”
Mrs. Bremenkamp poses with Dr. Bannen from Kansas Association of Veteran Teachers, Dr. Carter, USD 480 Superintendent; Ashley Kappelmann, LHS Principal; LHS staff and students after being surprised as the first veteran teacher recognized by the KAVT.
To think there was a possibility that Mrs. Bremenkamp could have ended up in a different field is nearly heartbreaking. There is no doubt that she would have found success in any endeavor she chose, but that would have meant a generation of students would have been deprived of her in the classroom. Not just her high school students, but the growing number of college students she has taught since she obtained her master’s degree in 1995.
Mrs. Bremenkamp has taught concurrent classes or classes on-campus, night classes since her time at Thomas More Prep-Marian High School, a private high school in Hays, KS where she also taught at her alma mater, FHSU. This is all a true testament to her passion and dedication to teaching.
After her time teaching at various high schools and colleges in western Kansas, she came home. In 2005, Mrs. Bremenkamp took a teaching position at Liberal High School and has, undoubtedly, built a legacy in the same classroom that provided her the tools to find her true calling in life decades earlier. There is no place she would rather be.
“Liberal is my home, this is where my family is,” Bremenkamp said. “I grew up in Liberal and graduated from Liberal High School. Also, the people I work with and the students I work with are amazing. I have heard it said that we are a family here, and I have personally witnessed instances where people jump in to help others. That kind of atmosphere is where I want to be.”
Mrs. Bremenkamp has always taught upper level math classes, so her students typically share the “math gene” that has allowed her to create such a successful and welcoming atmosphere in her classroom. Those who don’t share that gene and just have the drive and perseverance to take classes beyond what is required of a high school find comfort in having someone so caring and so dedicated at the helm of their class.
“I like being able to help provide them a foundation for whatever they need and want to do in life,” Bremenkamp said. “I love watching students when they finally understand that math isn't as hard as they have always believed.”
Even now, 32 years after her first teaching job, students are drawn to her and find comfort in having her as their teacher.
“Mrs. Bremenkamp was my favorite teacher during my entire time at USD 480, kindergarten through my senior year, it was her,” said 2023 LHS Graduate, Jenna Ormiston. ”She was my teacher for honors algebra 2, college algebra, trigonometry, calculus, as well as homeroom my senior year.”
After decades of teaching the hardest math classes her school offered nothing about her dedication to her students has faded. The love she has for her students is evident within moments of talking to her. She gloats, she praises, and she lights up when given the opportunity to discuss current or former students. Like a true teacher, they are what keep her going.
“I spent a lot of time in her room my senior year because calculus is really hard, but no matter how many questions I had she sat there and patiently helped me,” Ormiston said. “She never made me feel dumb or like I was bothering her, she was always willing to help. Not only did she help me get good grades, but she made sure I actually understood what I was doing.”
The impression Mrs. Bremenkamp leaves on her students extends well beyond the comfort of her classroom and well beyond any individual student. The profound ripple effect of a teacher like Mrs. Bremenkamp can never be fully understood. The depth and width of the impact she has on her students extends beyond her classroom, beyond LHS, and even beyond Liberal.
“I'm glad Mrs.Bremenkamp received this recognition, she truly deserves it,” Ormiston said. “It is because of her and the kind of teacher she is that I was able to become a calculus tutor during my first year of college, even though I never took the class here on campus.”
Her students, whether it be recent graduates or those from years past, have taken with them a piece of her and shared it with those Mrs. Bremenkamp, herself, will probably never meet. Again, to think Mrs. Bremenkamp could have chosen a different career path seems almost criminal when considering the impact she has made on the world from her classroom.
Her abilities and teaching acumen are known throughout LHS and well beyond the students. Teachers and others inside LHS take advantage of having someone like Mrs. Bremenkamp at their disposal in so many different ways.
“I think other teachers appreciate her abilities because many of the “not math” teachers will always ask 'we don't get it either, could you explain it to us?' and she always takes the time,” said LHS math teacher, Veronica Wilson. “She has also helped and is currently helping teachers who needed math tutoring for their college classes. Plus several teachers have had their kids go through her class as students and have seen the difference she has made with their kids.”
As if teaching the hardest math classes available at LHS wasn’t enough, Mrs. Bremenkamp is also the Chair of the Mathematics Department at LHS and those who teach alongside her couldn’t be more grateful for her every single day. New teachers or paras find comfort in having her by their side.
“She will give endless support to all of us in our department,” said LHS math teacher, Ismael Carrillo. “She will always be there for us when we have something come up and she provides us with true care and compassion for all of us.”
Beyond her students, Mrs. Bremenkamp’s boundless capacity for teaching extends to those who teach alongside her. She is the mentor every new teacher needs to have in their corner.
“She really has spent time with many of the new teachers visiting their classrooms, providing notes and best practices help,” Carrillo said. “I remember when I first started at LHS and she did the same for me. What really helped me was the abundant encouragement she gave me and still gives me.”
At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, Mr. Carrillo was named LHS Teacher of the Year for his work during the previous school year. Wouldn’t you know it, at the beginning of this school year it was Mrs. Bremenkamp who was named LHS Teacher of the Year.
Mrs. Bremenkamp (center) poses with Ashley Kappelmann, LHS Principal (left) and Ruben Cano, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education (left) after being named LHS Teacher of the Year this past October.
“She is one of the reasons I feel confident in my ability, more prepared, and truly cared for at LHS,” Carrillo said. “She expects excellence and carries the banner for all of us in the departments when we are struggling. I have never, in my time at LHS, felt like I was not good enough. I owe part of my own accomplishments to her for just helping to make me that much better of a teacher.”
Again, her impact on everyone around her cannot be overstated. Students, staff, faculty, administration, everyone looks to her for her expertise, but also because they know she has the most important attribute a teacher can have: she cares.
“She participates in several committees and is sought after for her opinions when decisions are being made,” Wilson said. “I feel like because she is so successful at what she does, that we want to duplicate her success in the classroom on a school level. I feel like part of her skill is natural, part is experience, and part is practice.”
It is easy for those who currently work alongside her to have these types of these things to say about how she teaches and how much she cares; they bear witness to the evidence every single day. They get to see someone who has mastered the art of teaching, everyday. It is fresh in their minds.
Perhaps a more telling sign of the type of impressions Mrs. Bremenkamp leaves on those who have the great fortune of getting to know her came earlier this week. You see, some months ago and 400 miles away from Liberal a discussion took place and Mrs. Bremenkamp's teaching career was mentioned and from there began a coordinated effort that culminated in her classroom this past Tuesday...
To fully understand we need to back up even further, to this past summer when a teacher by the name of Dr. Mike Bannen started an organization whose sole mission is to honor, celebrate, and advocate for veteran teachers. This organization is called Kansas Association of Veteran Teachers and Dr. Bannen wanted to single out and celebrate a most-deserving veteran teacher for their first teacher recognition.
Dr. Bannen, months ago and 400 miles from LHS, mentioned his need to find a veteran teacher worthy of this recognition to a colleague by the name of Scott Hinkle. Without hesitation, Mr. Hinkle mentioned Mrs. Bremenkamp was the perfect candidate for such an honor.
Mr. Hinkle is a name that will be familiar to those in the Liberal community as he served in various positions with USD 480 years ago. While the years have passed since they worked together, the impression Mrs. Bremenkamp left on him, did not.
After further discussion and Dr. Bannen getting a better understanding of who Mrs. Bremenkamp is and how impactful she has been as a teacher in Kansas for the last 32 school years, it was a no-brainer.
After the first leg of an 800 mile round trip during his spring break, Dr. Bannen stood in the classroom that has been so pivotal in the life of Mrs. Bremenkamp, and recognized her as the first teacher to ever be singled out and honored by the Kansas Association of Veteran Teachers.
“Being the first recipient of this award makes it even more special,” Bremenkamp said. “Dr. Bannen came all the way from Overland Park to recognize me with this award, I feel that says something about the education we provide students here in Southwest Kansas.”
Even after receiving an award for her efforts as an individual in the field of teaching, she still chose to use the pronoun “we” when referring to the education provided to students in Southwest Kansas. Add humility to the list of attributes that make Mrs. Bremenkamp the ideal teacher.
“I was absolutely stunned to be receiving this award. I have been a teacher for 32 years and I do the job everyday because of the students in my classroom… I am truly blessed. I was also surprised to find out that I was nominated for this award by Scott Hinkle, who was a teacher, coach, and athletic director here several years ago.”
Her humility continued as she encouraged the next wave of teachers in a way only a veteran teacher, who has spent her entire career in service of others, could say with such sincerity.
“It is so difficult to hire and retain qualified teachers these days,” Bremenkamp said. “I believe this award should speak to those new in the profession, it says you can make a difference like I have. I believe it also says we have lots to offer here at Liberal High School for both teachers and students.”
Mrs. Bremenkamp might have been the only one surprised that Tuesday morning in Room 214 on the second floor of LHS's main campus. Her impact continues to radiate from her little corner of the world, to Overland Park and well beyond. Like her legacy, the impression she leaves on those she comes into contact with, is lasting.
“She loves all her students as if they were her own,” Carrillo said. “She doesn't give up on them, even when they are starting to give up on themselves and she just provides support for her students by adjusting to different learning styles.”
“She gets to know her kids just by being there and being open to discussion,” Wilson said. “She is always willing to have a chat with the students and is very calm and kind in the way she presents her content to her students and allows them the time they need to process the information. She lets them come in before and after school as well as during her plan when she doesn't have meetings.”
“The most important thing that she does is that she always SHOWS how adamantly she cares about the students and everyone in the building at all times,” Wilson said. “She tries to help out anyone who asks her for help no matter the topic or content. She is polite to all of her students and co-workers. She provides insight and advocates for us all. She demonstrates how much she cares in the way she talks, teaches, body language, everything!”
Mrs. Bremenkamp bookended this year with two prestigious honors, one given by the local community and her LHS family that get to see her in action every day, and the other from a state-wide organization headquartered on the opposite side of the state by people who had only heard of the profound impact she has had and continues to have on education.
“I am truly honored to be recognized in these ways,” Bremenkamp said. “I never feel like I do amazing things. I just come to work everyday to try my best to support my students and make their futures better. I see myself as one of many people that are here to help students. The fact that others think I am doing good things here makes me feel that I am right where I need to be.
LHS, USD 480, SCCC, and the Liberal community are all better because of Mrs. Bremenkamp and we hope the recognition she received this year keeps her returning to the classroom that has shaped so many, in so many different ways.