Tutoring fellow students, Casey Olson, new seventh and 10th-grade US History and 12th-grade Economics/US Government teacher, got a taste of what it is like to be a teacher when he was still in high school.
“I really enjoyed those experiences.”
Olson also has several family members who have worked in education at the high school or college levels, and they introduced him to the profession.
He grew up in Harmony, MN and attended Fillmore Central High, a school roughly the same size as Cleveland. He graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a double major in Social Studies Education and History.
For the last year and a half, he has taught high school social studies, including a wide variety of content areas, at New Prague High School.
Olson chose to come to Cleveland because it seemed like a very welcoming and supportive environment that would allow him to teach most authentically, he said.
“Since I accepted, I have heard nothing but positives from people who have worked or know people who have worked at Cleveland Schools, which makes me very excited to get started.”
Olson most enjoys teaching various topics in history and geography.
“They require a specific way of thinking that is different from most other subjects. I also enjoy teaching government because I think it is important to be well-informed and know the basics of the structure of government.”
In his free time, he spends a lot of time running or being active, including hiking and pickleball, and reading both fiction and nonfiction.
His proudest moment was during senior year in college, when he saw all the effort that he had put into his running career start to pay off.
“I was never the best runner on the team, but I put a lot of work in during college to make myself as good as I could be, and reflecting on that journey fills me with a lot of pride.”
Olson is the assistant coach for the Mankato Loyola/ Cleveland cross country team and will help coach track & field in the spring as well.