In her 43-year teaching career Helen Thelemann touched the lives of multiple generations of children from Farmington to Le Sueur, St. Anne’s School and the Le Sueur Nursery School.
After her death at the age of 90 in October 2023, Thelemann’s presence will still be felt for years to come, thanks in part to a new memorial bench placed in her honor at the Le Sueur Nursery School.
The private preschool at 812 South 6th Street in Le Sueur, where Thelemann taught for many years as both a teacher and a substitute after her retirement, debuted a wooden bench bearing the longtime educator’s name just before their registration night at the end of February. The bench was constructed with funds donated to the school by Thelemann’s family.
Currently, the bench sits right next to the front door of the little red schoolhouse, but in time it will be moved to the playground, giving kids a place to rest and relax after an active day of running around. Staff have found the perfect place for Thelemann’s memorial, in the corner of the playground next to a birdhouse her late husband LeRoy built.
“Sometimes when we’re playing out back [the kids] get tired and don’t want to play and we thought that would be a perfect spot for them to sit and have a little spot to hang out, talk and take a little break,” said Le Sueur Nursery School Director Denise Traxler.
A fitting tribute to Thelemann, whose many years helping children learn and grow at the Le Nursery School predate its current location. Originally founded in a church basement in 1948, the Le Sueur Nursery School got its first building in 1952 -— the white schoolhouse on Ferry which is now home to Little Sprouts Childcare.
It was at that location Thelemann began teaching at the Le Sueur Nursery School. Back then, Traxler said many of the nursery school’s children were farm kids and as a farmer’s wife herself, Thelemann made fast connections with the students teaching them about agriculture. She continued to teach at the school as it made a major transition in 1999, moving to its current facility built and financed by David and Arthur Cosgrove Memorial Foundation.
“She was very hands-on and very down to earth. She was like your grandma. She was very cut-and-dry, this is how it’s going to be. She didn’t take any business from anybody,” said Traxler. “When she said something, she got her point across and was very respected by parents and the children.”
While Le Sueur Nursery School has had many different homes over the years, Traxler said what has remained consistent is its play-focused curriculum. The preschool centers its instruction based on what children can observe in the world around them -— the seasons, the outdoors and their own passions.
“In the fall, if they specify that they like construction vehicles, we’ll do a unit on construction vehicles,” said Traxler. “We go based on what their own interests are and tie them into all the things they see around them because that’s what they know and we just expand on that.”
The Le Sueur Nursery School focuses on trying academics into play through activities like alphabet bingo, students pick up on identifying letters through the act of playing the game rather than through rote memorization. Each day starts with a circle time, where teachers will read stories and lead the class in playing music and dancing. Traxler said storytime was Thelemann’s favorite part of the day.
“She loved to read the stories. We used to have an adult-sized wooden rocking chair and not every teacher would use it, but she always would,” said Traxler. “When she sat in the rocking chair, you knew that Mrs. Thelemann was ready to do a story.”
Each class also features a structured art project. During their choice time, students are free to read books, build with imaginative toys like blocks and create on their own with art supplies, activities designed to enhance the youths’ cognitive development and fine motor skills.
“While the stations stay the same they have an entire library of toys that they exchange out based on the curriculum,” said Assistant Teacher Ginger Nesbit. “There are some things that are here today that change frequently.”
Beyond academics, Le Sueur Nursery School’s play-focused pedagogy is designed to build students’ socialization skills and foster friendships in early childhood. Research has found social-emotional learning is a key predictor in success transitioning into elementary school and later into adulthood.
“This environment allows children to learn and explore, and Denise and Ginger and previous teachers encourage and embrace that outlook, rather than having your child sit in a chair and learn their facts,” said Kara, Parent Board president. “While there’s an important place for that, a child being able to explore on their own with guidance is so beneficial and something we don’t see enough of now.”
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