Hi my name is Mrs. Caauwe. I have been teaching Keyboarding and Computer Applications at North End Elementary School for 12 years.

I  graduated from the University of Minnesota with a double major in Early Childhood and Business, plus a Human Services Generalist Certification with an emphasis on crisis intervention.  I attended the University of St. Thomas to earn Teacher Licensure and a Masters in Curriculum. Course work for ESL Licensure and Keyboarding and Computer Applications Licensure has been completed at Hamline University. Currently, I am a Education Doctoral Candidate at St. Mary’s  University.

 My education philosophy closely matches that of Dr. Mel Levine who has written “A Mind at a Time.” I believe that each person is unique. Each person is born with certain strengths and weaknesses.  Every day at school we expect our students to be good at math, reading, writing, spelling, memorization, recall, comprehension, athletics, problem solving and even socialization. Is this realistic for me or you? Is it realistic for our students?   It seems that we all have different areas that we excel in. Strengths are primarily influenced by genetics, environment, but also by teachers. I believe that teachers can have a very powerful influence on the successes which a student experiences. Each student learns in their own way and therefore needs assignments and learning experiences that fit their individual learning style. As a teacher, I believe students are more likely to succeed if I understand their uniqueness of strengths and learning styles, and then adjust my instructional style and student expected learning experiences accordingly.

A policy of strengthening strengths, then strengthening weaknesses, will follow when done in a nurturing environment will maximize student successes.

My experience has been that technology is a powerful tool to be used by everyone. Students are more self motivated to learn when they are working on the computers. They force themselves to read, comprehend and problem solve. In the process of learning to work on the computer, they learn how to identify problems and ask a question to solve the issue. Learning computer skills in elementary school will prepare our students to work more independently in junior and senior high school and be ready to work in the 21st Century.

My time outside of school is spent with my husband, children or grandchildren. I can often be found with one or more of them. I also am an active member of my church. To know me is to know that I am very passionate about family history. I started gathering family information when I was 8 years old when my third grade teacher gave our class the assignment to complete a three generation pedigree chart. I never stopped gathering information.