Education
Faculty & Staff
| Jay Birkey |
E-mail: birkey@iowacentral.edu I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science Education from the University of Northern Iowa. Then I headed to eastern Nebraska for a number of years to be a 7-12 social studies teacher and coach. It certainly was never dull having 150 teenagers pass through my classroom every day. While in Nebraska, I completed a Master's degree in Secondary Education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Most of all, I survived being a transplanted Iowan living in Big Red country! Having grown up near Fort Dodge, coming to Iowa Central was like coming home. I have been teaching in the Education Department here since the fall of 2002. I try to use my experiences as a secondary teacher to help make the content of our education courses and the college classroom come to life. I have a special place in my heart for students who want to be teachers, who want to work with kids and make a difference in their lives. In addition to teaching at Iowa Central, I am also the director of the TRIO Student Support Services program on campus. |
| Michelle
Ramthun Advanced Instructor of Language Arts |
E-mail: ramthun@iowacentral.edu Bio: Writing is much more than words on paper. It’s much more than an academic “hurdle” freshman students need to do as part of gen ed requirements. It’s also about communicating, expressing yourself, and finding out what you didn’t think you thought. Since fall semester 1994 I have been a full-time instructor at Iowa Central Community College, and I was an adjunct summers and most semesters between 1990 and 1994. Courses I teach are English 1, English 2, Introduction to Literature, and Exploring the Humanities. I first attended college here at Iowa Central, Ft. Dodge Center. After completing my Associate of Arts degree, I transferred to the University of Northern Iowa in English and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, emphasis on literature. Immediately after earning my B.A., I began a teaching assistantship at Iowa State University, where I taught freshman composition while working on my Master of Arts in English, with specialization in teaching and rhetoric/composition. When I’m not on campus, I like spending time with my husband and young son. I also read often (fiction and nonfiction, classics and current), travel when I can, and write letters, essays, or other materials when I find time or ideas. After many years of letting my artistic interests go, I’ve started taking the occasional art class at the local art museum and have been drawing and using watercolors for fun. I’m certainly no expert, but just like writing, you don’t need to be an expert to do it for yourself. In addition to on-campus classes, I have enjoyed teaching on ICTN and ICN and traveling to surrounding centers and sites to meet students throughout the Iowa Central community. Computer classrooms are interesting as well, allowing different ways of communicating through chats, etc. Although I don’t have the chance to meet most of my students who enroll in my online English 2 course, I enjoy seeing them grow in writing as well. |