By Kim Colway
For our featured parent article, we decided to highlight our teacher Doug Berg’s Mom, Norma Berg. I talked with her about how her life is, about Doug now and as a little kid, and about her opinion on Mini-School. We had a really good interview. She was very nice and gave me lots of insight about Doug and why he has been with Mini-School so long.
Norma Berg grew up on a farm in Mora, Minnesota. She attended a small high school during the depression. She had to stay with relatives during that time so she could go to school, because everyone was so poor. After high school she took teacher’s training which was one of the only types of degrees they had. She never ended up teaching. Instead she worked with the welfare programs, and as a financial assistant.
Doug was Norma’s first child, born on March 26, 1943 during World War 2 in Wichita Falls, Texas. That is where his father was stationed in the army. Doug was a very outgoing child. He was learning to ski at age 5. He always liked to be outdoors, fishing, and hunting. He participated in many sports such as baseball, basketball, and football. One of the things Norma was most proud of was Doug’s academic records. He always did well in school and graduated in the top 16 at St. Cloud University.
Norma never thought that Doug would become a teacher. Instead she thought he would work with insurance or at a bank because he was always good at math. Although she is glad he became an alternative teacher because he is sensitive and he likes people. Norma feels that Mini-school is a very good program and is proud that Doug is a part of it.