Mark Bauch of St. Paul is Education Minnesota’s 2024-25 ESP of the Year
Bauch is a special education educational assistant at Washington Technology Magnet School in St. Paul.
The first thing students at Washington Technology Magnet School notice about ESP of the Year Mark Bauch is his height. But Bauch, who is 6’11,” doesn’t mind—he uses it to connect with them. “It helps with building immediate relationships with the kids,” Bauch said. Upon speaking with Bauch, what becomes more noticeable than his height is his passion—for his students, for his community, and for the work he does as a sports coach and educational assistant for ninth grade special education students.
In Bauch’s career, sports and education have always been intertwined. In fact, coaching is what initially got him into the classroom. After graduating with a degree in child psychology, he coached basketball at a recreation center. His colleagues noticed how good he was with the kids and offered him a job coaching at recreation centers around St. Paul. He was working at Rice Recreation Center, which is attached to a school, when one of his former teachers approached him about collaborating on a “rec and reading” afterschool program for junior high students, where the kids would read for about a half hour and then play basketball for an hour. He agreed and began working with these students, reading and then playing sports with them. The students responded positively and the next year, Bauch was asked to lead the program.
He continued working at the rec center and leading the program for a couple years. After a couple of long- term subbing stints, the teachers he worked with advocated for Mark to be hired. Eventually, he was hired in his current role as an educational assistant and served as a basketball coach until this year. He currently coaches track and field.
Throughout his career, Bauch has tied coaching into his approach as an educator. He uses sports to encourage students to try their best academically. He said, “If I can coach here, I can use it as an incentive and a reason to care about their grades and give them a chance.”
Bauch’s passion also stems from his roots in the community. Born and raised in St. Paul, Bauch went to school not too far from where he teaches now. This community connection helps him build relationships with his students and their families. “Because I was born and raised here, I tend to know the families of the students I’m working with,” he said.
Knowing their families helps him build trust with students. As we walk through the halls, Bauch points out a student heading to class. “That student over there used to be one of mine,” he says. “He was skeptical of me at first, but then I read his last name, and it turns out I grew up with his uncle. Once I told him that, he opened right up.”
“Mark knows the families and the neighborhood in ways that few other educators can,” said Michael Nawrocki, speech language pathologist at Washington. “He knows the challenges our students face and can empathize with them but will never make excuses for them. He leads with empathy and high expectations.”
Bauch says his focus is on teaching students foundational skills and building up their sense of agency. “I tell the kids three things that can make school a lot easier: 1. be on time to class, 2. respect the teacher. You don’t have to like them, but you have to respect them. 3. try your best at your work,” he said. “As long as they do those three things, I can help them with the harder stuff. But I expect them to meet me in the middle.”
His goal is to get these skills so ingrained that by the time his students get into higher grades, they do well in their classes—and he’s been mostly successful. In his office, he has a giant corkboard full of pictures that he’s taken with former students at their graduations. He says it encourages students to do well and try hard in school. “They’ll come into my classroom and ask if their picture can go up on the wall,” he said, “They get really excited about it.”
He also stresses the importance of ensuring the kids he works with don’t feel singled out. “Although I’m there for specific kids, I’ll move around the room and make it look like I am there for the whole classroom, while still keeping a keen eye on the students on my caseload.”
Even after they leave his charge, Bauch still makes it a point to stay in touch with his former students. “I have kids that I’ve connected with emotionally that need to check in with me. And I see them around, so I’ll check in with them,” he said. “Sometimes they’ll come back and ask me for help with their work. If I can’t help them, I’ll find someone who can.”
His colleagues say that Bauch is particularly skilled at working with some of the more challenging students. “He consistently seeks out the students who face the greatest challenges,” said Tim Hayden, special education teacher at Washington. “Where others see difficulty, Mark sees opportunity.”
Bauch says part of it is just a natural knack, but part of it is studying child psychology. He says it’s important to read a student’s emotional state and adjust the response as necessary. He ensures that he stays regulated and remains a calming presence for students when they become dysregulated. “Of course, the height helps as well,” he laughs. “But I can also connect with [the kids] really well. I think it’s because they know I care … and we have great teachers in the high school, I think it creates a very [stable and steady] environment for the students,” he said.
As the 2024-25 ESP of the Year, Bauch will receive a $1,200 honorarium and his choice of an iPad or Chromebook. He will also represent Minnesota in the National Education Association’s ESP of the Year program and will receive all expenses paid to attend the NEA’s ESP conference next spring.
