South Dakota educator Glenna Fouberg, 1994 State Teacher of the Year, was known throughout her state as “Mrs. Education.” Photo credit: South Dakota Hall of Fame.
Very few teachers are so accomplished they become renowned throughout their state, but one who did was Glenna Fouberg of South Dakota. In fact, Glenna was known as Mrs. Education in her state.
Glenna was born Sept. 1, 1942, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. She was raised in Ashley, North Dakota, and graduated from Ashley High School in 1960. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education in 1963 from Northern State Teachers College and her Master’s degree in Counseling from South Dakota State University in 1968.
Glenna inaugurated her career as a teacher at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. She also taught in the South Dakota cities of Sisseton, Bristol, Webster, and Aberdeen. Throughout her lengthy career, she was known as a teacher with a commitment to helping students on the margins of the state’s education system. The last 13 years of her career she was director of the Alternative Learning Center in Aberdeen. At the Alternative Learning Center she extended services to middle school students, those at the Juvenile Detention Center, and those at the New Beginnings Center, a home for at-risk youth. She also mentored other school districts in the creation of similar centers.
This exemplary educator served 19 years on the South Dakota Board of Education, four of them as its president. She also chaired the Indian Education Advisory Board for ten years, and she helped established both the annual Indian Education Summit and the South Dakota Teacher Summit. Under her leadership, Teach for America was brought to the state, and through that program many teachers were placed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. For her work in the field of education, Glenna was recognized as South Dakota’s Teacher of the Year in 1994. In all, this amazing teacher spent 38 years in the profession.
Sadly, this amazing educator succumbed to Covid-19 in her home town of Aberdeen on Jan. 5, 2021. She was 78 years old. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this article about her published by the South Dakota Hall of Fame.
