My name is Tarah Koch. My students call me Ms. Koch (pronounced "Cook"). I graduated in 1994 with my bachelors from Saint Olaf College with a degree in Physical Education and Sports Science.  Following my undergraduate work, I attended the University of Minnesota and received my Masters in Education.  I began my teaching career in the Robbinsdale School district, teaching middle school physical education and adapted physical education, and coaching volleyball, basketball, track and field and cross-country.  After taking a break from teaching to be a stay at home mom, I switched gears and was a lead teacher in a preschool in the Whittier neighborhood in Minneapolis.  I have been with Four Seasons A+ since 2022, teaching elementary physical education.  I also have been coaching cross-country running at Saint Paul Johnson since 2019.

My teaching philosophy is that all children are unique and have an innate curiosity and love of learning.  My hope is to tap each child's curiosity and love of learning and movement in my classroom.  I want my students to be challenged, but to also find joy in moving their body and working with others.  I want them to try new things and be okay with taking safe risks and making mistakes.  I will challenge my students to look for the strengths and good in their peers and support each other throughout the year in our classroom adventures.  I want my students to feel safe.  I want my students to laugh, to ponder, to think and to sweat.  When they leave my classroom, I want them to have the knowledge of how to be active, the desire to find ways to be active outside of school, and have the confidence to do so.

I welcome visitors to our class and hope to see you here. Volunteers will be needed during the year for our bike unit, ski unit and Field Days.  Contact me if you would like to be one of our visitors/volunteers. Email is a good way to reach me, tarah.koch@spps.org. 

I grew up in Northern Minnesota, but have lived in St. Paul since graduating from college.  I live with my husband, Kurt, and have two amazing daughters who grew up attending Saint Paul Public Schools. I enjoy running, cross-country skiing, hiking, paddleboarding (truly any outdoor activity) and reading in my spare time.