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But when she was asked to address the recent 11th annual Leadership Iowa program during its gathering in Spencer, about "The Storm Lake Experience," she jumped at the chance to educate some bigger bodies. The program involves many of the rising leaders of business and industry from around Iowa, and Kwikkel herself has been a part of the 2003-04 leadership class.
She feels Storm Lake often gets an unfair image from outsiders.
"I just gave my impression of Storm Lake, and the change that has happened over the years. I explained how we are learning first-hand about a lot of different cultures, that it is truly a picture of how the world is. Those who throw barbs about it being such a terrible place have simply not educated themselves to the reality of Storm Lake. What you may hear outside our community is not necessarily the actual picture."
The elementary school often hosts visiting educators and groups from around Iowa and beyond, she noted. "So many of these people come to me afterward and remark about what delightful students we have, and say 'Your teachers just rock,'" she says.
In a world of standardized testing, the numbers alone don't accurately reflect education in the community, Kwikkel feels.
"People from outside Storm Lake can't know the trials and tribulations our wonderful teachers face, and what they are doing to change a child's life," she says. "The system often wants to treat schools like a business, but it's not - we are dealing with human beings here, not quotas."
She bristles at suggestions that teachers may fail, based only on standardized tests.
"Teachers do not pick and choose. People who come to Storm Lake who might not have been in good school systems elsewhere do not have a better set of students hidden somewhere - they are sending you the best they have and trusting you to help them. If a teacher takes that child and in one year makes two years of progress with the child, but they don't happen to meet all the standards of some particular test on a given day, and you tell me that teacher doesn't deserve a raise - that will be the day I quit."
Testing is often difficult in a society where students are moving in from areas of the country or world where education is not as valued as it is in Iowa. There are also cultural barriers. "Tests don't match the population, or take into account how society is changing. If a test mentions Elvis Presley, a lot of our students have no idea who that is, but if it mentioned Hugo Chavez, they would know."
The Leadership Iowa program knows that there is more to Storm Lake than what outside naysayers may think, having twice chosen the community to host its program in recent years. The group studies issues ranging from education to energy to government.
The session generated plenty of good questions.
One person asked how a community with unemployment of less than 5 percent could have such a high number of children on free and reduced lunch plans. There are jobs, they often simply don't pay enough, Kwikkel replied.
Participants questioned her about the impact of No Child Left Behind legislation and other education issues. She was happy to see the level of interest.
She felt the hour's speech was a good investment to make some headway against the image her community has at times suffered.
"I talked economic development, about our charter school, about BVU and Iowa Central and all the positive aspects we see the colleges working together and with the community. I told them that three-fours of Iowa school districts are not growing, and we are. I talked about the environment efforts, and how the people, churches and businesses have worked together for the benefit of everyone," she says. "We are all packaged differently and the color of our skin may be different from one another, but we all respect community and the freedoms we are fortunate enough to have here, and we all want to be part of this."
While some in the rest of the corridor - including Spencer - may fail to fully appreciate Storm Lake, Kwikkel points out that the city boasts assets that are different from those of its neighbor to the north - including a four-year university and a large lake.
How did her message go over? Big, apparently.
"A couple people said I should run for public office," laughed Kwikkel.
Comments
I subbed in the Storm Lake Middle School a few years ago and it was a wonderful experience! The staff and students were helpful and courteous. I told the principal that if there had been any permenent positions available I would have loved to stay! This is from someone who swore they would never go within 100 miles of a middle school! It was also at a time when one of the districts to the north couldn't get anyone to sub (including me) in their middle school because of behavior problems with the students.