Hi, my name is Julie Odegaard and I am in my fifth year of teaching pre-kindergarten at Grace Lutheran School. I throughly enjoy being a part of the molding process of little people with such open hearts and minds.

I grew up on a farm in Denison, Iowa. I attended Augustana college in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I graduated with a double major in Elementary Education and Special Education. My teaching experience began in a two-room country school where another teacher and I team taught K-8 grades. Over the past 16 years, I have taught various grades, but thoroughly enjoy the pre-kindergarten experience.

Blessed is how I feel about the opportunity to teach in a Christian school such as Grace. I am loving the awesome feeling that I get every day when I can openly share God's Word and show His love in every aspect of the learning experience with all the young, eager learners.

I am also very busy outside the classroom. I am married and have three children. Troy, my husband, teaches and coaches at West Central High School in Hartford, SD. Our children are Aubrie, who is 14, Jacoby, who is 12, and Mercede, who is eight. I enjoy attending and being a part of her family's school functions and extracurricular activities, teaching Sunday School, crafting, and baking in my free time.