'I have loved every minute': Dakota Wesleyan, Mitchell School District teacher connection remains strong

Dec. 2—MITCHELL — It's after the school day, and Heather Kayser is in the middle of a conversation at Longfellow Elementary School. Suddenly, one of her students unexpectedly pops their head in the door and lets her know about some important news.

"Your mom had her baby? Oh my gosh! Are you going to see her? Yeah?" Kayser, a first-year fourth grade teacher at the school, exclaimed. "Come here, give me a hug!"

Kayser was midway through a sentence talking about her first semester of full-time teaching at the Mitchell School District when she received the update. The 2022 Dakota Wesleyan University graduate and Alexandria native was saying how much she enjoyed the close relationship she had formed with her students.

"Oh my goodness, I couldn't have a better group of kids for my first year. It's been such a great experience so far because of the kids I have," Kayser said.

Kayser is one of seven 2022 graduates of the Dakota Wesleyan University education program who are teaching full-time for the first time in the Mitchell School District this year. Recently graduated Tigers are in place at all five district schools, and all are bringing the knowledge they gained from their own teachers at the local four-year liberal arts college.

Her connection to her students is an example of the close working relationship between the Mitchell district and Dakota Wesleyan. That connection dates back decades, with many graduates of the university serving as staff or faculty at every grade level.

"It's been tremendous for the Mitchell School District and the kids it serves," said Joe Graves, who has served as superintendent of the Mitchell School District for over two decades. "And it's only gotten better and better over the years."

Kayser said her position at Longfellow is the culmination of a lifelong interest in education.

"I always knew in the back of my head that I wanted to be a teacher. I'm so passionate about teaching, I love children and want to make a difference. That's the only thing for me. So I'm going to teach," Kayser said.

Kayser began college at South Dakota State University, but transferred to Dakota Wesleyan to be closer to home. She found herself in the education department at the school, beginning her lessons on how to communicate and educate young minds.

It wasn't long before she was getting experience firsthand.

"Right when I transferred to DWU, I was in the classroom, after about a week into our courses," Kayser said. "Observing the teachers, working one on one with students. I love the hands-on atmosphere and how we were able to do that so quickly."

Kayser said the chance to make connections with experienced teachers in a working environment were invaluable to solidifying her choice to become a teacher.

Like the bond she has since formed with her students at Longfellow, she developed relationships with the older generation of teachers. She also got a look at student-teacher relationships during her experience, taking in classroom lessons along with lessons that come simply by interacting with faculty.

"The relationship with the education professors can be translated over to the teaching side of things. They showed us that a professor and a 22-year-old can have a close relationship. Now I'm a first-year teacher and making relationships with my nine-year-olds," Kayser said.

Jess Huber is also a 2022 graduate from Dakota Wesleyan. The Elk Point native is another example of someone who wanted to be a teacher from an early age.

"I always wanted to be a teacher since I was in the second or third grade. That never changed," Huber said. "A big part of that is that Elk Point is a small town, and I had a lot of teachers who inspired me along the way. They inspired me and I want to be that person who inspires other kids."

Dakota Wesleyan was a good choice for her because it was close to home and her mother is originally from Mitchell, meaning she had family nearby.

"I was finally going to leave home but still have a good support system around," Huber said.

She also found a support system at Dakota Wesleyan and the Mitchell district, where she is in her first year teaching third grade at L.B. Williams Elementary. She admits she experienced some freshman year anxiety, but that would soon pass as she got to know her instructors at DWU and her mentors in the district.

"I have loved every minute I've spent at Dakota Wesleyan. Even that first year we were already getting to interact with students at L.B. Williams," Huber said. "From that point forward, every minute I was building colleagues who would back me up if I needed anything. (Now) I can reach out to other teachers if I need to, and I certainly have."

Talking with friends at other universities, she learned the arrangement between Dakota Wesleyan and the Mitchell School District is unique.

"I have friends that went to the USF, or Augie or even USD for education and I would brag to them — look at how many classroom hours I have! I get to be in the classroom today!" Huber said. "Some of them never taught a class until they were student teachers. I had taught (already), and I felt so prepared by the time I was student teaching."

Ashley Digmann, chair of the education department at Dakota Wesleyan University, said the closeness of the school and the district is an example of the wider connection it shares with schools throughout the region, but having a large public school system close is beneficial to their students.

The entities work together on multiple levels. Aside from placing student teachers with the district and the opportunity to have them observe experienced teachers in the classroom, students from the Mitchell district often find their way to the Dakota Wesleyan campus for activities. The close proximity of L.B. Williams to the DWU campus helps facilitate that.

Much of the success of the partnership comes down to relationships, both those long-established and those just being forged by new teachers earning their wings.

"That's something that you'll see in our program. Those relationships between professors and students, and the relationships with students and teachers in the district, between parents and teachers," Digmann said. "That's a big foundation of the program at DWU."

Graves agreed, saying leaders at both institutions know and trust that the other is working to provide the best educational experience it can. Challenges can be overcome and opportunities can be maximized.

"The leadership at each place to the teachers and everyone else who works there, we, frankly, all have a very positive view of the other's programs and the benefits that the other side brings," Graves said. "I think that trust has grown up so much over the years, that it's just whenever you face an issue, you'll know you'll get it resolved and whenever you face an opportunity you know the other party will be there for you."

Graves also noted specific efforts, such as the dual enrollment opportunities that allows for accelerated advancement from the high school to college level, and the Mitchell Community Scholarship, to which Dakota Wesleyan provides matching funds.

New teachers are only becoming more in demand as teachers retire, and the students coming out of Dakota Wesleyan is a boon to the district, Graves said.

"Many apply at Mitchell and have provided us with some fantastic candidates over the years," Graves said.

Both Huber and Kayser did their student teaching in Mitchell before becoming full-time employees, which gave them a sense of familiarity, as well as a built-in connection with some of the teachers on staff.

Huber said it has been a great experience, even if it wasn't something she necessarily foresaw when she arrived here as a college freshman. Now with a new home and a fiance who works in education in Plankinton, she said it would be hard to leave.

"If you had asked me my freshman year, I would have said no way I was staying in Mitchell," Huber chuckled. "But you get more familiar with the people and teachers in the district by the time you graduate. My fiance and I got a house in town, so I guess we're sticking around. I don't ever want to leave now. I don't know what hooked me, but Mitchell is something special."

Kayser also thought she may look for a change of scenery after graduation, but ended up finding her place in Mitchell.

"Honestly, I thought for a while I'd try to get away. I wanted to get away for a little bit and try something new in a different area," Kayser said. "I applied in Mitchell along with other school districts not in the area, and I had my interview in Mitchell and I loved the atmosphere and the feeling of still being close to home. And there were so many familiar faces in the interview. When I walked around the school, I would see my friends' kids. I felt like this was where I needed to be."

Digmann, a Dakota Wesleyan graduate, said the school is ready to guide the next generation of classroom leaders. There are drawbacks to being a teacher — low pay and long hours being two that are often cited — but she is encouraged by the passion and energy in each new class of freshman.

That passion is a good thing for the classrooms in places like the Mitchell.

"A lot of students come in with a heart for teaching. Students are coming in as freshmen for the right reasons. They are energized and excited," Digmann said. "It's amazing what brings them here, and their passion excites me for my classroom, for the students we're putting out in the classroom, and the high level of teachers that are going out there. We are fortunate to have teachers with that passion."

Graves said it is a relationship that will not end anytime soon. From students to teachers to administration, that cooperation will continue.

"We've seen that perennially from Dakota Wesleyan, and I only see that getting stronger, if anything," Graves said.