Wartburg College Education Department

A busy week at the 'Burg!
Move-in
Orientation
"Knighting"
Convocation &
First day of classes, TODAY!
Below are a few pictures from the Convocation held yesterday in Levick Arena. President Becky gives some opening remarks, Education Faculty & staff honoring the 1st year students and the start of a new Academic Year, and finally, the Loyalty Song is sung so well.
Pictures in front of Old Main with the Knight and Toby were a big hit this morning and another Wartburg College tradition.
Be a part of this great history, go to the website and schedule a visit to campus today! www.wartburg.edu
Everyone is welcome and you really will "Experience More"!

Taylor Runchey is out "West" - Experiencing More in Colorado fulfilling part of her Student Teaching Requirement.
Her first placement is at Southmoor Elementary, in Denver, CO.
She is in two classrooms of 3rd graders and is concentrating on Literacy and Math, but all subjects are taught.
Her second 7-week placement will bring her back to Iowa. She will be in a 6th grade classroom at Parkview Middle School - in Ankeny, IA. This placement is Science based.
Taylor plans to graduate in December 2024.
Proud to be a Knight.

Summer Success
One Alum and one current student from our Education Department spent their summer doing research at Iowa State under the RET program. RET stands for Research Experiences for Teachers. This program is designed to provide educators hands-on research opportunities working with scientists at ISU.
James Wenman (2020-2021) and Cadance Schroer (Current Student at Wartburg College) These two passionate teachers got to explore new ideas, engaging in collaborative learning experiences that will enhance their teaching methodologies. Wenman and Schroer learned several creative strategies that can be implemented in the classroom.
To celebrate their hard work, a special magazine was created, Belonging Redefined: A Summer of Going Against the Grain.
Some pages of the magazine are enclosed below as pictures.
Even after the summer ends, the teachers stay involved with their summer studies by meeting monthly for reflection and to continue their critical thinking with their groups.
Contact Maureen Griffin for more information on how to join this group. [email protected]

Experience More in the Wartburg Education Department.
Fall 2024 Version

Below is a picture of our current Department with guests from Germany's Martin Luther University in Halle, Wittenberg.
Wartburg has been partnering with them for many years and their visits are always enlightening and fun. Our group looks forward to future options between their school and ours for students so they can Experience More with German culture and it's higher education system.

You'll see two new faculty members in the picture:
Sarah Montgomery and Brandy Smith. We welcome them to our work family and wish them a blessed and great start to this new year at Wartburg.

Old Main is getting some sprucing up. Come on over and see what's happening. While you're here, stop up to third floor and chat with Education Faculty and Staff. We are always here for students to help them succeed and love Wartburg College.

Classes begin on September 4th and fall sports teams are already on campus. It's great to have a busy campus again.

Go Knights!

Detours set for Bremer Avenue bridge closure:
Beginning Aug. 5th, 2024, the Iowa DOT will begin replacement of the Bremer Avenue (Iowa Highway 3) bridge across the Cedar River. Construction is expected to be completed in Fall 2025.
Anyone trying to reach campus from east of Waverly will need to use the marked detour on Cedar River Parkway. Please encourage visitors traveling from that direction to allow a few extra minutes to reach the college. Access to campus from the other main entrances to Waverly (Iowa Highway 3 from the west, U.S. 218 from the north and south) will not be affected.

Calling all Wartburg alumni, parents, and friends! Help us stay connected updating your info with us. Whether it's a new job, new address, or new family members, we want to know! Your information with us can be updated online at https://www.wartburg.edu/update-our-records/

Let's stay in touch! 🧡🖤

Wartburg's Education Department was well represented today in Ames at the Iowa Reading Association Conference! Brittany Lingenfelter and Brianna Lingenfelter along with Professor Jennifer Dickey, presented - "Eat the Frog": Tackling Task Initiations in Reading and Writing. Dickey said, "We spoke about developing task initiation skills in reading and writing then gave practical strategies to help students "eat the frog" and start tasks that they have been avoiding or find difficult." "Eat the frog" is a metaphoric phrase for tackling the most challenging assignments first.
Their session was geared to help students overcome procrastination in the subjects of reading & writing.
Groups that this presentation supported included, Elem. grades 3-6, Middle Schoolers, Title I, Special Education and Administration.
Experience More at Wartburg College

Riley Kammeyer will be teaching 3rd grade this fall at Lincoln Elementary in Charles City, IA. Congratulations!

An Alumni request:
3rd-grade teaching position available at Northwood-Kensett Elementary. Contact the Principal, Brian Costello, for more information.
[email protected]

Beka Gershenoff will be teaching 5th grade this fall at Red Hill Elementary in Gypsum, Colorado!
Congratulations!!!!!

Congratulations, Amber Sweeney. She will be teaching 6-12th Grade Vocal Music at Northeast Middle School in Goose Lake, IA.

Faith Howard will teach 5th - 12th Choir this fall for the Albia, IA Community School district.
Way to GO, Ms. Howard!

Congrats to Gianna Borer! She will be the Elementary General Music teacher for all Elementaries in Spencer, IA.

Way to Go - Audrey!
Ms. Guyer will work in the Special Education Department at Clear Creek Amana Middle School this Fall!

CONGRATULATIONS!
Brandt Petersen will be teaching Special Education, PE and Health to High Schoolers in Clinton, IA.
⚠️

Lily Aulwes is headed to Delhi Elementary to teach 3rd grade this fall. This is the Maquoketa Valley CSD.
Congratulations!

Congrats to Gwen McQuaig! Gwen is going to be the HS Vocal Music Teacher at Southeast Valley in Gowrie, IA.

Congrats to Elyse Juarez! Elyse is headed to Des Moines to teach 2nd Grade at Brubaker Elementary!

Alexis Brown is headed to the Cedar Falls School District. She will teach 6th grade @ Orchard Hill Elementary. Congrats!

Congratulations, Megan McGuigan. She will be the 9-12th Grade Vocal Music Teacher at the Glenwood, IA High
School.

May Term In Colorado!
Human Relations(HR), a required course for Education majors, can be another Experience to have while attending Wartburg College!
The focus of this particular HR course was culturally and historically responsive teaching practices in a pluralistic society. Studies were grounded in Gholdy Muhammad's "Unearthing Joy".

Professor Jennifer Dickey traveled with ten students, spending over two weeks in the mile-high area.
The group split their time between enjoying the outdoors and working with students at Smith Elementary. (Denver Public School District)
First stop, Morrison, CO hiking at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Moving on to Denver, CO, they attended the musical, "Where Did We Sit on the Bus". The presentation included lunch held at a restaurant called The Teacher's Lounge. (Notice the big pencil on the building!)

In Colorado Springs they road the Cog Railway Train to the top of Pike's Peak - hiking at Garden of the Gods.

The students next headed to get some classroom experience at Smith Elementary.
This involved classroom work of course, plus an Egg Drop Celebration, Dia Del Ninos Pinatas, a Spring Extravaganza with families and community members, and a Pancake and Dance Party.

The Leadership Team from Smith Elementary thanked Wartburg students for their amazing contribution to their school.

Next some Wartburg Alumni joined the group at a Colorado Rockies Game.

Another hike to the Royal Arch was enjoyed, and finally, a Denver city Walking tour with Luz Navarette.
(Pictured: Tristan Straight, Zarah Van Dyk, Koryn Bakken, Jessica Lohoff, Luz Navarette (from Colorado), Tatum Grubbs, Kathryn Christy, Toni Bohlen, Aubrie Pruess, Hannah Slater, and Allie Spredemann.)

Great job putting an awesome adventure together, Professor Dickey! The students will remember this Experience for a lifetime.

Enjoy Wartburg and Experience More.

Ms. Hoth will be working w/ a great team of teachers this fall at W-SR's new North Ridge Elem: Kindergarten.
Congrats, Kaylyn!!!!

Congrats to Riley Preuss! She will be the Title One Teacher for K-8th graders at Central Community School District in Elkader.

Congratulations to our Department Chair, Dr. Rick Snyder! This morning he was honored for his TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY at Wartburg College
Dr. Snyder has held the Education Team together for the past few years and we owe him so much praise and gratitude.

Many others were also celebrated during the Annual Milestone Employee Achievement breakfast held today in the Ballrooms on campus. A great end-of-the academic year gathering.

A short May Term makes for an intense Research in Reading course, but today the class presented their findings. It was amazing. The preparation, the data collecting, writing and "researching" all came together for three groups today when they presented their Research Findings. Professor Kathie Sloan was an amazing mentor to this group of students learning a new and daunting process.

One pod investigated the Science of Reading: Impact on Student Achievement. (Brit Lingenfelter, Max Miller, Marlee Boyle, and Seamus Poynton) This group found that using Science-based literacy instruction to help children in 1st - 3rd grades learn to read showed an increase in student engagement, made a positive impact on their achievements, plus gave the teacher a more positive disposition. This is a relatively new view on reading so researching it was a bit difficult. I found myself asking lots of questions and really noticing how the Wartburg students learned so much from this entire project. More than what was even on their posters. GREAT JOB!

The next team (Chloe Nixon, Beka Gershenoff, Tarah Wehde, and Louise ShaBani) took on the topic of How to Effectively Use Small Groups in teaching. They also observed the Larger Group at the same time. (Rest of the class.) Data collection led to the discovery that keeping small groups at a maximum of four students aids with increasing progress and making sure the needs are met for each student. Routine for the class and expectations for both groups are a must, and finally, when grouping the kids, using a variety of methods is most effective. Half of this group will be teaching next year and the other half is headed toward Student Teaching. I think they learned several great strategies to implement and avoid during Small Group time in the classroom.
Nice WORK!

The last group that presented to me had a very interesting topic: Supporting Avoidant Readers: An Explorative Study of Signs and Strategies. (Kaylee Kueker, Brit Lingenfelter, Maddy Moser, and Emma Nelson) Their research stemmed from three sub-questions.
1.) What are the characteristics of an avoidant reader? 2.) What are the root causes of an avoidant reader. 3.) How do we engage avoidant readers?
Most kids who don't want to read use indirect cues, that teachers need to learn to watch for. These cues will show you, hey-this kids doesn't want to read! Many avoidant readers are those with low achievement levels, low self-esteem and those who worry about what their peers think about their reading ability. One takeaway from this presentation was to provide the avoidant student with a choice of the reading. Praising the student for each achievement is effective and gives them more self esteem to keep going. I believe this group worked with 4th grade to collect their data. Interesting that in 4th grade the students are now reading to learn instead of learning to read. SUPER INFO!

Teachers are amazing humans. They must take all this information (plus much more) into account for each student, everyday for around 180 days. WOW!

We had the most wonderful experience today.
Iowa's 2023 Teacher of the Year, Krystal Colbert, came to campus and spoke about the Impact of a Teacher, how to stay motivated in this profession, and about G-R-A-C-E.
Colbert has been a teacher for 17-years, currently at SE Polk near Des Moines. SE Polk is one of the largest districts in the state.
She is a 2nd grade teacher, most of the time. This last year has been amazing, traveling and speaking at many different learning outlets; but since Wartburg was her last scheduled visit as Teacher of the Year, she will now be heading back to her classroom.
Colbert told us that you need to have Success and Joy in your classroom. She said to always remember the "Why" you chose to teach, it can be very motivating, especially when times get hard...and they will get hard.
GRACE - "the exercise of love, kindness, mercy, and favor."
Teaching is a skill and you practice everyday. You do not have to be perfect, but you need to be able to see the best in yourself and also see the best in everyone around you.
She continues and says it's tough to learn that not all students want to go home at night. She says to Love and Support each student while under your care, "because you don't know, what you don't know." Give students GRACE, but also give yourself GRACE.
How you make the children feel in the classroom is remembered and impactful.
Colbert's three priorities that bring her Joy and Success in the classroom:
1.) Have a growth mindset. Learning is a process, remain persistent, be gentle with yourself, the most growth will come when you are "outside of your comfort zone".
2.) Relationships. Make and have relationships with everyone in the building. Have values. Every student needs to be seen, have a voice, feel valued, and have a sense of belonging. (Basic human need.)
Be authentic and intentional all year long. Remember that you are teaching humans.
3.) Self-Care and Balance. Set healthy boundaries. Respect your time. Fill your cup first and then you will be able to help others fill theirs. After you walk into your classroom, your needs are no longer important, so make sure to come in with a Full Cup. Alone time is good or know what you need after school that can get you refreshed and ready for family and homelife first and then to go back to work again the next day. Pause and Reflect. Make a change to improve what you need to be that authentic and caring TEACHER!
Thank you, Krystal for sharing your attitude and inspirations with future teachers at Wartburg today. You are appreciated!
We also want to congratulate Iowa's 2024 Teacher of the year, Ann Mincks, from Des Moines.

Dr. Michael Bechtel's GM 214: Amazonian Ecology & Culture class just returned from their May Term trip to the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. Twenty Wartburg Students and 8 adults spent the last 12-days living and learning at the Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies (ACTS). The group visited multiple villages where they spent time with the local people and even played games with the local children. (volleyball, dancing, and soccer) Students conducted research in alignment with various fields of study, went bird watching, fished for piranhas and then had a local man cook them up for supper. They went to visit local schools and found that one-room classes would teach 1st - 6th grades altogether.
They studied the plants, insects and various animals known to the region. Lodging included no hot water, no flushing toilets, no wi-fi, basically the group immersed themselves into the culture of the rainforest for the entire trip.
A little site-seeing took them to one of the largest canopy walkways in the world. ACTS Canopy Walkway. The sunsets here were breathtaking from this view.
Finally, it's a tradition for every college who visits her to make a sign for their school. Go Knights.

Experience More at Wartburg College!

Bechtel leads this trip every other May Term. Are you applying to Wartburg today? Next trip, May 2026.

Speaking of the "famous" Bechtel from Wartburg College -
He is up for a HUGE honor and you can help him win this deserving award: America's Favorite Teacher.
Vote once daily for free:
Facebook @ https://americasfavteacher.org/2024/bec

Big News: Marlee Boyle has just joined the St. Paul's Luthern School team! Congrats! She will be teaching Kindergarten next fall.

Congratulations!
Chloe Nixon will be teaching 1st grade this fall at North Ridge Elementary in the Dallas Center Grimes CDS.

Ann Meirick will be working next fall with the great W-SR Middle School Team. She will be teaching 5th grade.
Congratulations!