Angela Hoefer, MHS’ gifted teacher, will be working at the Early Learning Center to teach half a day. The school board wants more kids to have access to preschool education, and they are utilizing Hoefer.
Mike Henry, Marshfield Superintendent, said “Typically, a district will assess its needs and determine what adjustments need to be made in order to serve the most students in the best way possible.”
This will be a big change for students who frequent her room.
During a normal school day, Hoefer’s room is open to gifted kids. They use their room if they have a rough day, need help with work, help to organize their post-graduation lives, or even need to eat somewhere other than the noisy cafeteria. She checks the student’s grades while they’re in her room and makes sure they’re getting work done. On average, 40 kids work in her room per day, some students visiting multiple times. Hoefer’s Jr. High kids bus to the high school on Wednesdays for their class with her and Hoefer has a 1st hour class.
Not only does she take care of the gifted kids, Hoefer is also in charge of a variety of other things:
- Academic Team
- Foundations of Educations Class with Jessica Boyster
- Educators Rising Club with Jessica Boyster
- Organizing all High School mentoring mlasses (A+ Scholarship)
- Signs students up for the ACT and PSAT
- Administers the PSAT
- Runs informational meetings
- Helps students apply for Missouri Scholars Academy
- Missouri Fine Arts Academy
- Boys State and Girls State
- Missouri Leadership Academy
- Missouri Scholars 100
- National Merit Scholarship
- Summerscape
- Sets up job shadowing opportunities for all high school students
She will continue to do all of these plus teaching a preschool class.
Hoefer’s current students are disappointed with this change.
Katie “Kai” Vo, a sophomore gifted student, has had Hoefer for three years. “Mrs. Hoefer has given me the space and resources I needed as a gifted student to develop as a person. I have pursued my goals and my intellectual skills have flourished because of her guidance. I have gained confidence in myself because of her encouragement. I feel pretty upset about her leaving. Though I know she will still be with us, losing her is like losing our rock. She’s a steady constant for a lot of us and it’s hard to move on from losing that sense of comfort. For many of us, Mrs. Hoefer’s room is a sort of haven. We can escape from the loud classrooms we have to endure all day for some quiet or fun in her room. She is well equipped to guide us gifted kids, so it’ll be tough dealing with the absence of someone who can, well, tolerate us so well.“
Senior Lauren Replogle has had Mrs. Hoefer for six years. She said, “Mrs. Hoefer has been a helpful resource to me as well as a comforting personal contact in the school that I could turn to if I needed help. She has provided a safe space and lots of guidance throughout my high school years. I think the school is losing an extremely valuable resource for her gifted students. I think it will be a blow to her students both academically and emotionally. Her students will no longer have the space where they’re made comfortable enough to seek help from a trusted adult. We have resources such as the counselors, but having a teacher these students have grown up with and has dealt with them closely on a personal level for years is an invaluable position we are losing.”
“I’m very passionate about the gifted program, it’s my heart and soul. Although I understand I need to be a team player and go where the district needs me, Gifted Education is where I truly want to be.” said Hoefer.
