Charlotte Mohling's school district covers 850 miles and parts of six counties in rural South Dakota. When she began teaching there, she was frustrated that her students didn't have as many opportunities as those in larger school districts... and she decided to do something about it. Today, Mohling has written over $140,000 worth of grants for her district, including funding for her to develop a unique technology program at the Wessington Springs School District. Now, students in Mohling's classes could be working on any one of the nine courses she teaches at any given time. Most of the courses center around the field of technology, but her students aren't surprised if there is a course outside the box as well, like the parenting course Mohling designed. Her students grab laptops as they come into class and work on their own, getting feedback and encouragement from their inventive teacher. Mohling's standards are high, and she always makes sure students can demonstrate that they know information before moving on to another lesson. At the same time, her lessons are self-paced, which gives her students a lot of independence. An important component of Mohling's lessons involves connecting students to the community; they have been known to design websites for local businesses or produce radio news. Mohling continues to expand her teaching beyond her district by working for Dial Virtual School as well, which services 406 students in 29 districts. In 2007, she was honored by the state of South Dakota with a Teacher of the Year Award.
Charlotte Mohling's school district covers 850 miles and parts of six counties in rural South Dakota. When she began teaching there, she was frustrated that her students didn't have as many opportunities as those in larger school districts... and she decided to do something about it. Today, Mohling has written over $140,000 worth of grants for her district, including funding for her to develop a unique technology program at the Wessington Springs School District. Now, students in Mohling's classes could be working on any one of the nine courses she teaches at any given time. Most of the courses center around the field of technology, but her students aren't surprised if there is a course outside the box as well, like the parenting course Mohling designed. Her students grab laptops as they come into class and work on their own, getting feedback and encouragement from their inventive teacher. Mohling's standards are high, and she always makes sure students can demonstrate that they know information before moving on to another lesson. At the same time, her lessons are self-paced, which gives her students a lot of independence. An important component of Mohling's lessons involves connecting students to the community; they have been known to design websites for local businesses or produce radio news. Mohling continues to expand her teaching beyond her district by working for Dial Virtual School as well, which services 406 students in 29 districts. In 2007, she was honored by the state of South Dakota with a Teacher of the Year Award.