New Peet staff reflect on year of lessons

At the beginning of the year, 46 new teachers joined the Cedar Falls Community School District. Many coming from surrounding districts, but also many from around America. Ten of them are Peet Junior High teachers.

“It has been great here this year. There is a lot of parent support in the school, and they are really involved in the students,” Peet English teacher Nathaniel Norby said.

Norby came from North Dakota to teach ninth grade English.

“The year isn’t over for me yet to stop enjoying things. I have enjoyed enrichments during Tiger Time a lot. Getting to know the students better is a cool thing my kids didn’t have at the school I used to teach at. I usually coached, so it’s nice to see students not in a classroom setting,” he said.

Students have been very welcoming to incoming teachers. Math teacher Kimberly Kockler, who came from Tipton, was pleasantly surprised by her Cedar Falls students.

“I have felt very welcomed at Peet. There was a group of girls that brought me a basket full of baby gifts. I wasn’t expecting it at all. It was a surprise. I love telling people about it.” Kockler is expecting to have her baby in the next two weeks. Kockler has been able to focus on her passion for teaching math.

“It’s been great. I have really enjoyed it. At my other school, I had  to teach some elective classes. I like teaching math, and so I only get to teach math here, which I love. There are a lot more opportunities in Cedar Falls.”

Daniel Oltman, a social studies teacher at Peet, came from North Tama.

“I have had a lot of fun. My fondest memory at Peet is standing out in the hallway watching kids laugh and smile and enjoy being in school. I enjoy the staff that I work with because they are very professional and very dedicated to education and in general I enjoy kids.”

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