Mission: Service — Veteran and educator leads innovative education project in rural Iowa

WOODBINE, Iowa (KMTV) — Because of a veteran, innovation is altering the training mannequin in Woodbine, Iowa. The varsity district is providing a brand new method for college students to arrange for his or her future.

Superintendent – and veteran – Colonel Justin Wagner is main the cost on the subject of taking a distinct strategy to studying. The secret is letting college students have a say in how they study.

“It’s time we cease making children really feel less-than as a result of they’ve a distinct expertise set. And so that is what we’re doing. And it is totally different and it is laborious. However what we’re seeing, the returns are unbelievable,” mentioned Wagner.

A primary-of-its-kind studying mannequin in Iowa, this system focuses on studying by doing versus the standard classroom-work strategy. It’s already getting outcomes.

“In our first quarter of implementation, which is that this yr, our first true deep quarter of implementation, the early returns are pupil achievement is up, self-discipline referrals are down, and attendance is up.”

That is all resulting from letting college students have a say in how they study.

“The Chapter 12 waiver is permitting us to create a system that meets child’s wants, not a system that meets grownup’s wants or only a system that meets the system’s wants,” mentioned Wagner.

That is just the start.

Quickly his college students may have a brand new facility devoted to this new method of studying referred to as the Ignite Pathways Regional Heart. It’s going to provide dozens of programs and college students can earn their core credit by way of profession and technical training.

Wagner calls it a game-changer.

“We imagine there’s math in agriculture. We imagine there’s science in agriculture. We imagine there’s language arts in agriculture, and we imagine there’s historical past or social research in agriculture.”

The scholars will get to decide on their technical training programs, utilizing classes from the actual world.

“We deliver the content material space specialists to them, so that they study welding from a welding skilled and the language arts, math, social research, and science lecturers say, ‘Okay, I’ll inform you how science is used to MiG Weld. I’ll inform you the historical past of welding, which is basically fascinating.’”

And on the basis of the brand new middle are members of the Iowa Air Nationwide Guard 185th Air Refueling Wing.

There’s a new rigidity material construction already erected that shall be used to deal with the servicemembers who will journey to Woodbine to construct the brand new Ignite Pathways constructing, by way of the Division of Protection Revolutionary Readiness Coaching program.

It is a unit Superintendent Wagner has a connection to; he is additionally a colonel within the Iowa Air Nationwide Guard and Vice Wing Commander for the 185th.

He attracts parallels between his service to our nation and his service to his younger college students.

“These three guiding lights and the navy facet – integrity first, service above, self-excellence and all. I do take into consideration these on a regular basis, you realize, and attempt to attempt in the direction of these.”

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