Oskaloosa Kindergarten Teacher Competing in National Super Mom Contest

OSKALOOSA — An Oskaloosa Elementary kindergarten teacher is gaining attention in a national “Super Mom” contest after being nominated by her husband.

Michelle Erbs, a teacher at Oskaloosa Elementary, is currently competing in the online contest, where supporters can vote once every 24 hours.

The contest winner receives $20,000, national recognition and opportunities connected to the Super Mom program.

Erbs said she originally thought the nomination email might be spam until her husband told her he had entered her into the contest.

The Oskaloosa teacher said motherhood and teaching have become deeply connected parts of her life.

Erbs teaches kindergarten at Oskaloosa Elementary and said she sees her students almost like extended family.

She currently has 19 students in her classroom while also raising her 17-month-old daughter, Kennedy.

During an interview with Oskaloosa News, Erbs spoke about the joy she finds both in parenting and teaching young children.

She said some of her favorite moments come when students begin learning how to treat others with kindness and respect.

Along with reading and math, Erbs said she places a strong focus on social and emotional learning in her classroom.

That includes teaching children how to share, apologize, ask others to play and communicate respectfully.

Erbs said helping students become good people matters just as much as academics.

She also praised the support she feels inside the Oskaloosa Community School District.

Erbs described Oskaloosa Elementary as a place where staff members work together closely and support one another.

She said the district creates an environment where teachers feel valued and students feel encouraged.

Outside the classroom, Erbs shared her difficult journey to becoming a mother.

She said she suffered three miscarriages before doctors discovered she had antiphospholipid syndrome, a condition that can cause blood clotting problems during pregnancy.

After receiving treatment through Mahaska Health, Erbs was able to carry her daughter successfully.

She credited Dr. Taylar Swartz and Mahaska Health for helping her through the process.

Erbs said the experience changed her life and deepened her appreciation for motherhood.

The Super Mom contest continues online as contestants advance through multiple rounds of voting.

Supporters can vote for Erbs once every 24 hours through the contest website by following this link – www.supermom.com