If you go to Terrace Elementary, you will see many dedicated mentors. One of them is Joan Haack.
Joan has been a mentor at Terrace Elementary since 2015 and worked at Terrace prior to that. She had seen Everybody Wins! Iowa in action while working at the school and decided it would be the perfect fit. In addition to being a mentor she has been a sub for the site-coordinator (Collette Saylor) when Saylor has to be gone. Joan also reads with both sessions at Terrace on Wednesdays.
Haack has a BA from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master’s of Science from Kansas State University. She taught elementary school before being a stay at home mom with her children. After they grew up she began to teach English as a Second Language in Ankeny. She did this for 17 years before retiring in May 2015.
It is this dedication to education that her site coordinator, Collette Saylor, says makes her a great mentor. “As a retired teacher, she is one of the best at working with students who need extra attention. A young girl who had trouble feeling comfortable with adults last year in Power Read, has blossomed with Joan as her mentor. Joan is one of Terrace’s star mentors that read with both a 4th and a 2nd grader.”
One of Joan’s favorite things about reading with Everybody Wins! Iowa is when a student she mentors say, “I am glad I get to read with you.”
Her advice to future and current mentors is to enjoy the experience.
Everybody Wins! Iowa thanks Joan for her dedication and enthusiasm to education and Everybody Wins! Iowa.