By Tina Snell, Staff Writer
Barb Muckenhirn has been hired by the Little Falls School District as its first 21st Century Teaching and Learning director. She started her duties July 1, and is looking forward to the challenge.
Barb Muckenhirn, with 26 years of education background, has been hired by the Little Falls School District to head the 21st Century Teaching and Learning Department.
Muckenhirn said she is thrilled to be working in Little Falls.
“The district has a long history of education delivery that shouldn’t change,” she said. “It has a vision on how to change its education, though its ideas are hard to implement. The district needs to comply with the Minnesota Department of Education and live within its budget while moving forward.”
Muckenhirn’s job consists of making sure the district’s curriculum aligns with Minnesota’s standards. She will be working directly with the principals, keeping an eye on what is being taught, identifying the essential elements of each subject at each grade level.
“All schools have a Teaching and Learning Department,” said Muckenhirn. “Little Falls has added the ‘21st Century’ to the name because it’s new thinking in student development and we are in the new age of technology. The district won’t be focusing solely on technology, but also global and critical thinking and communications.”
Muckenhirn will also be monitoring Adequate Yearly Progress, a part of the No Child Left Behind initiative. She will compile the numbers and monitor the district’s data. She said it’s all about school improvement and delivering better educational services.
“We are a public school, we work for the public,” she said. “We also have to comply with the state. I will be referring to the Minnesota Department of Education daily.”
The most visible part of the 21st Century idea, she said, is the iPad initiative developed by the administration. It’s just one of the many tools Little Falls is using to move students into the 21st Century.
Muckenhirn grew up in Westhope, N.D., which is north of Minot on the Canadian border.
“I like Little Falls and its rural setting. It’s quaint with lots of heritage. It has a Minnesota feel to it,” she said.
She continued her schooling at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, receiving a master’s degree in education leadership. She received her administrative licensure from St. Mary’s University in the Twin Cities.
Muckenhirn taught middle school language arts in Bottineau, N.D., for 14 years. She also worked on a county-wide curriculum project that is still in effect.
For the next 12 years, she was in administration with the Lake City and Princeton districts.
Muckenhirn and her husband spend their free time taking weekend trips to parts of Minnesota in their RV. Muckenhirn also likes to quilt and read.
