Kirkwood newsletter introduces Iowa Valley instructor

MARENGO — Kirkwood Iowa County introduced the teacher of its new Fundamentals of Oral Communications dual enrollment course in its winter newsletter.

Erin Pieper has been teaching at Iowa Valley for 13 years and has been an instructor for dual enrollment classes for three years, the newsletter said.

“When teaching students I love seeing their personalities come alive in their writing, getting to know them, and seeing those 'ah ha!' moments when they grasp onto the content,” Pieper said.

Pieper’s high school English teacher, Sarah Misener, encouraged Pieper to be a teacher, she said in the newsletter. “It's fun to be able to share teaching stories with each other now.”

“Taking college credit while in high school is a wonderful opportunity for students to get ahead of the game,” said Pieper. “It also allows students to get a feel for college without feeling intimidated; it's a setting that they can be comfortable in.

“I wish I would have had this type of opportunity when I was in school because it would have better prepared me not just for college, but life after high school in general,” Pieper said.

Pieper grew up in Sandwich, Illinois and attended Clarke University in Dubuque on a bowling scholarship, the newsletter says.

“I still bowl today,” said Pieper. Her high score is just short of perfect — a 299.

(This article has been edited to correct errors about Pieper’s teaching history.)