Reluctant teacher now a classroom standout

Kim Zvara loved growing up in the Town of Grafton, but she was not a fan of middle school, especially the social drama, and was happy to leave eighth grade.

Little did she know she would learn to love middle school enough that she would find a long-term home there and excel at teaching — so much so that Zvara, a fifth-grade math and science teacher at St. Paul Lutheran School in Grafton, this year received one of 100 Kohl Teacher Fellowships that honor leadership, dedication and excellence. The school and teacher each receives $6,000 for the award.

Zvara never expected the honor — “Obviously, the credit goes to God,” she said — but she found filling out the detailed application to be valuable.

“It forced me to stop and reflect on things and think about things I do as a teacher,” she said. “Therapeutic might be the word. I do a lot more than I feel I do.”

Music teacher Valerie Bremer knows how much Zvara does. She nominated her for the award.

“Kim is an incredibly dedicated Christian teacher who treats her students as her own children as she lovingly holds them accountable in both academics and character as they negotiate the tough first years of middle school,” Bremer said.

“She is gifted at taking students from the level they are at and coaching them to be their best. She cheers them on in every endeavor and constantly reminds them to gratefully use their gifts for service to God.”

Zvara didn’t see her gift was teaching until after college. The 2000 Grafton High grad earned business and math degrees from St. Norbert College in De Pere and started in the corporate world as an intern.

She saw a number of successful women at the company but noticed they were exhausted and didn’t have time for their families.

Zvara didn’t want that life. She took the advice of her father and others and earned a teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, then a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction.

She spent nine years teaching math at Menomonee Falls High School, then six at Whitefish Bay Middle School before coming to St. Paul in 2020, making for an easy commute in her hometown and allowing necessary family time as a new mother.

The move to education was divine intervention.

“God guides us and has plans for us bigger than we know,” Zvara said. “I didn’t want to be a teacher. God gives us the gifts we need for the work we need to do.”

She started with eighth-grade math, then moved to fifth grade to fill a need.

“It’s a challenging age,” she said. “You don’t always see results right away. The lessons you teach don’t always sink in in fifth grade.”

St. Paul Lutheran Principal Michael Yurk said he can see the impact Zvara makes.

“Mrs. Zvara brings out a love and passion not only for science and math but also for the environment and emboldens students to understand how they are caretakers of God’s creation.”

Zvara said her goal is to plant seeds of faith, goodness, character and academics.

“Teaching,” she said, “is the ignition of a fire, the love of learning, not just filling a bucket.”