The Community’s Guide to the District
West Junior High Principal Receives MNIB Leadership Award
May 2020
Hopkins Educators Learn to Teach from a Distance
Leanne Kampfe is the first person to receive the newly created Minnesota Association of IB World Schools (MNIB) Leadership Award. Her colleagues surprised her on March 12 with a small celebration to recognize her as the award recipient.
A first-grade Chinese immersion student connects with her teacher virtually (left) and preschool teacher Rob Mullen poses with his son Ernie who helps produce a YouTube show that doubles as a virtual classroom (right).
"It’s important that you realize what a gem you have — that you have someone who is considered a leader in the state,” said Jon Peterson, executive director of MNIB.
When Allegra Smisek, assistant director of Innovation, Design and Learning (IDL), learned on March 15 that the governor planned to close all schools in Minnesota for two weeks to allow teachers to plan for a potential longer closure, her only point of reference was a snow day. Canceling school for even one day came with challenges, and a closure of this magnitude had never been done.
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For the next eight days, she co-led and co-wrote the handbook for Distance Learning in Hopkins, working alongside teachers, media specialists, administrators, digital coaches, and several other staff. Closing in-person school for an indefinite period of time is something no one wanted, but Hopkins was determined to make Distance Learning the best it could be for students and families. “We wanted families to know that wherever they were at — it was okay,” said Ann Ertl, assistant director of IDL. “We wanted them to give themselves patience and grace and to know that if something was not working for them, we could help.”
With the governor’s recent announcement that buildings will remain closed for the rest of the school year, Hopkins, as well as other school districts in Minnesota, is coming to terms with the reality that they are in this for the long run. The collective shock has worn off and teachers, students, and families have begun to settle into a routine that would have seemed unfathomable even three months ago.
Maintaining connections Teachers are rising to the challenge and thinking outside the box to create engaging learning experiences for their students from a distance. Second-grade teacher James Ikhaml meticulously documented his maple syrup-making process, turning it into a virtual science and math lesson. Then there is preschool teacher Rob Mullen, who created his own virtual classroom, which his students access on YouTube. While it’s not possible to fully recreate in-person learning experiences, maintaining connections is a priority for teachers. Moira Scholz, a special education teacher at Hopkins High School, is See Teach from a Distance, inside
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