What We Can Learn From Teens with Bonnie Benes – 9-12-15

August 20, 2015

We talk often on the Mind Body Spirit Living show about how we can get to know ourselves better.  This week we begin a series of shows that explore how we can learn more about ourselves…….from others.  We start by speaking with someone who does what many people would find to be nearly impossible, but that she learns and grows from it every day.

As the Head of the Middle School at The Prairie School, Bonnie Benes does what many people would find incredibly challenging, spending her days with teenagers in grades 5-8.  Each day she negotiates teen hormones, angst and drama, and all the while finds herself energized and even learning about herself in a way that no other job could.  Join us to hear Bonnie’s thoughts on what we can learn about ourselves….from teenagers.

Bonnie Benes was born in the small town of Berlin, Wisconsin and was raised by parents who were educators.  She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received her B.S. in Physical Education with a concentration in athletic training.  After a relocation to Racine, WI, she landed at The Prairie School.  Five years later, she returned to school to receive her M.S. in Educational Administrative Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 1998, she became Head of the Middle School at Prairie.

While fully immersed in her teaching career, she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in 1993.  She completed  her treatment regimen while continuing to work full time.  In the Spring of 2000, her breast cancer returned and Bonnie balanced her treatment schedule and work schedule to insure a smooth continuation of the school year, and returned full time to school for the beginning of the school year in the Fall of 2000.

Bonnie is an avid Wisconsin Badger fan and a mentor and inspiration to generations of parents and students.

For more about The Prairie School, go to www.prairieschool.com.