English Teacher starts journey at Minnehaha

English teacher Michaela Bieno. Photo by Zion Friberg

Michaela Bieno is excited to start her journey as an English teacher at Minnehaha Academy. Bieno teaches English 9 and English 11 at the Upper School. Bieno grew up near Madison, Wisconsin, which is where her family still lives. 

“My mom has five siblings, and all of them still live in Wisconsin,” Bieno said. 

Bieno always knew she wanted to be a teacher. At first, she pondered being an elementary school teacher, but when she got to high school, she knew she wanted to be a high school choir teacher, which is why she chose to study music education at Luther College in Iowa. In high school, she had a voice teacher who went to Luther and talked highly of it. 

She eventually switched her major to English because, she said, “there can be a lot of egomaniacs who are brilliant musicians, but they’re not always great people, and I hated the performance of ‘I’m better than you.’” 

Before teaching English at Minnehaha, Bieno taught two years in Somerset, Wisconsin. She became interested in Minnehaha because of its proximity to home and its faith aspect.

“My faith is a huge part of who I am,” she said, “and I want young people to be able to experience a healthy and fun faith community that feels relatable.” 

Bieno’s colleague Leah Caracci has noticed during meetings that Bieno always has her students’ best interests in mind.

“She is willing to change, adapt, and personalize her lessons to suit the needs of her unique classes,” Caracci said.