Franklin Elementary teacher’s parenting experience, music performances link students with lessons

A Sterling Public Schools educator turned his love of parenting into a successful teaching career.

Brian Lobdell is a second grade teacher at Sterling’s Franklin Elementary School. He transitioned into his career at Sterling schools years ago after spending a decade as a stay-at-home dad.

Lobdell graduated from Bradley University with a degree in business marketing. He worked in retail management after graduating, but found the work did not suit him. After his second child was born, Lobdell said he and his wife, now a retired teacher, decided to reprioritize their lives.

“We decided that one of us should be home to raise our children, rather than take them to daycare,” Lobdell said. “So, we weighed the pros and cons. Our salaries were basically equal, but her benefits and hours were better. So, we decided she would continue working and I’d be a stay-at-home dad. I did that for 10 years.”

Lobdell said those years were some of the best of his life. However, after his third child reached kindergarten age, Lobdell and his wife decided it was time for him to go out and find his passion.

The only problem was that Lobdell had spent so long dedicating his time to his children that he did not know what else to do. His wife had the perfect solution – using his bachelor’s degree to pursue a substitute teaching license.

“I started slow, getting maybe one call a week for a while, and then it got to be two,” Lobdell said. “Eventually, I was getting requested more and more by my teachers, and it got to be a full-time gig. I even filled in for some long-term maternity leaves. Finally, I decided that there’s nothing else I would enjoy doing more than this. So, I went back and got my master’s degree.”

After graduating, Lobdell did his student teaching with second graders at Franklin, where he was immediately hired thereafter, and has remained since.

“That experience helped me to discover that this age group is my niche,” Lobdell said. “They’re so open to new discoveries and learning. They come in ready to go every day, and I like seeing that ‘a-ha’ moment light up their faces when they get something for the first time.”

Lobdell takes a lighthearted approach to teaching and said that if he is not having fun, then he knows his students are not having fun, and likely are not as engaged as they could be. To grab their attention and set a positive tone for the day, he kicks things off with sing-alongs, often strumming his guitar to get everyone engaged.

“It’s a lot of acting and theater,” Lobdell said. “It’s me making things bigger and more exciting than they should be. I try incorporating music into learning as well. It’s not all just fun songs, but if I can think of a way to use it to teach a certain subject, I’ll do that, because certain students learn better that way.”

Although Lobdell likes to keep things lighthearted, he maintains a consistent schedule to teach his students the value of following a routine.

Each day begins with a sing-along and a class discussion of the day’s activities, followed by small group reading activities in the Literacy Center. After math, reading and phonics lessons, students enjoy lunch and recess, before wrapping up their day with a mix of science, games and grammar activities and a final guided math session.

Lobdell said his students seem to enjoy math the most – a subject he admits is his favorite to teach due to the many hands-on approaches that make learning the subject fun and engaging.

“Some students can get out blocks and cubes while others can show what they’re thinking through drawing pictures or illustrations,” Lobdell said. “Some students just do equations while others write sentences to explain what they’re doing. It touches on all the different ways of learning, whereas that’s harder to do when you’re just reading a textbook and answering questions together. So, I think that they feed off of my enthusiasm toward math.”

Lobdell said the best part about his job is the relationships he builds with his students.

It’s my job to build relationships with the students and help them feel like they’re part of our classroom community, and that we have a safe learning environment," Lobdell said. “I think that’s important. Students have to trust you before they’ll start to learn from you. It’s my philosophy.”