Kathy Mueller, an adult education instructor at Moraine Park, has been full-time at the College for 33 years. Read about her journey and why she continues to say ‘yes’ to working at Moraine Park Technical College.
Tell us a little bit about your journey at Moraine Park Technical College (i.e.: where you started, to where you are now)?
I first started at MPTC in 1991 as an instructor for the brand-new Public Safety Telecommunicator (911 dispatching) program. Wisconsin never had a program for that before, and there were only two other programs in the country, so we were mostly doing everything from scratch. It took a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and creativity to get it running effectively because we started in a random classroom for the first 8 weeks with no equipment and no one to actually dispatch. Once construction was complete, we had the coolest, state-of-the-art dispatch center, complete a self-contained radio/communications system, a self-contained Enhanced 911 phone system, and with two “screamer rooms” that were sound-proofed for students to go in and make 911 calls. It was a very innovative program, but unfortunately, it was discontinued after about 11 years.
This was the silver lining for me. At the same time my program was discontinued, our Beaver Dam Campus Adult Education Instructor retired. I was qualified for and very interested in that position, and I’ve been doing this for the last 22 years. It’s the best teaching job at Moraine Park! We work with hundreds of students each year, all hoping to either earn a high school credential, build skills for college, or get help with their college homework. We never know who will attend each day so every day is different, and we see students achieving their goals all the time. For the last several years, I also teach at the Fond du Lac County Jail one day a week, working with students who want to earn a high school credential. It’s very rewarding, and it’s awesome when I get to hear about those students thriving with their new confidence and new credential and getting good jobs when they are released. All in all, I wouldn’t trade my job for anyone else’s at MPTC!
What was your biggest or favorite accomplishment and why?
I’ve actually played a part in accomplishing a lot of projects at MPTC since I’ve been here so long, so I’m going to start with my first fun accomplishment. Starting the Public Safety Telecommunicator Program from scratch was a huge accomplishment, but at the start of my 3rd school year, I started a club for our program. I had a great group of students who were all on board for getting a club up and running, and our goal was to raise enough money for their membership fee for APCO, a professional dispatching organization, and then to raise money to attend APCO’s regional conference that was being held in Columbus, Ohio in spring. The club was extremely busy that year with fundraisers of every sort, and after tons of hard work, we accomplished both of our goals. The students attended the APCO Regional Conference in Ohio. They networked, learned a lot, and really enjoyed a professional conference for the first time. It was a huge hit!
What’s your favorite part about working for MPTC?
I love working with our students in the Student Success Center every day. We have a great mix of GED/HSED students, college preparation students and college homework-help students. Our students might come in after years of being out of school or having had traumatic school experiences, and they can be very anxious or afraid of going back to school. I absolutely love to see those students become confident, successful students who accomplish their goals of getting a high school credential, entering a college program and graduating from college. That’s my favorite part about working here!.
Tell us a quote that motivates you.
We have a quote on our Student Success Center wall that struck me as exemplifying a great attitude when I first saw it, and for our students who have had personal struggles their whole lives, starting their MPTC journey with us can be a brand-new start. It reminds me that no matter what people have done in the past, every day is a new opportunity for a second chance as long as they are willing to take it. “Dear Past, Thanks for all the lessons. Dear Future, I’m ready.”
Who inspires you?
My Adult Education team members inspire me every day. They work so hard, are so patient, and have great attitudes. They make me try to go above and beyond and be a better employee, team member, instructor and person. I see them in action at work, and it always reminds me why I love my job so much!
