I have been teaching at West Central Valley Middle School since 2003. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Iowa State University and my Master’s degree in Effective Learning and Teaching at Drake University. You may contact me during school hours at 515.833.2331, or I can also be reached by e-mail at dkuhns@wcv.k12.ia.us.
Grades:
The only items that I typically “grade” in my classes are tests and quizzes, but occasionally I decide to throw a few daily assignments into the grade book. Even though only some of the daily work goes into the grade book, I still expect you to complete in-class work and homework because that work will help increase scores on tests and quizzes. In order to do well on the assessments, you must work hard on your daily work and homework. Due to the fact that grades are determined mainly by tests and quizzes, I will sometimes allow retakes. If you want to improve your score, just talk to me. If you receive a score below 70%, you will need to meet with me for a reteaching lesson and retake. It is up to you to find a time for you to do this. A retake will be accepted up to one week after the initial test/quiz.
Reteaching/Retesting:
I am more than willing to help you if you need extra help. I am available before or after school from 7:45-8:20 AM and 3:30-4:00 PM. I also have planning time during 7th period (1:30-2:12 PM), and I will be available to use that time to answer questions or retake tests/quizzes if you get permission from your 7th period classroom teacher. 3rd period may also be used occasionally if you get permission from your 3rd period teacher and me ahead of time. Extension time during 9th hour will NOT be used for retakes and reteaching. Please communicate with me ahead of time about when you would like to meet. Feel free to email me any time.
This video was created by my expansion class in the spring of 2019. The lyrics to the song were created and performed by: Kinsey Alt, Bella Munoz, Landry Norton, Alexa Norton, Tasha Williams, Heidi Link, and Jenna Oller. These students were in charge of taping the different scenes of the movie, and I did the editing.