Dean named the Iowa Alternative Education Educator of the Year

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Charles City teacher Josh Dean was named the Iowa Alternative Education Educator of the Year Thursday at the Iowa Alternative Education conference in Des Moines.

The annual, state-wide award was presented to Dean at the conference. The honor was an unexpected one for Dean.

“I had no idea, it was a total surprise,” said Dean. “I was pretty well speechless.”

Dean, originally from Shell Rock, has been teaching in Charles City for 15 years, first as a high school English teacher, then at Carrie Lane alternative high school before returning to CCHS as the alternative education coordinator and starting the CCHS Success Center in 2015.

Dean was nominated by teaching colleague Don Betts, director at Carrie Lane, and Charles City juvenile court liaison officer Dan Caffrey, as well as a handful of students and former students, all who sent letters.

“It was extremely rewarding,” said Dean. “You don’t expect to have something like that. It’s nice you have your colleagues and students just recognize you like that, let alone win an award. It was a pretty emotional moment.”

Dean said that he might have even shed a tear or two, “when no one was looking.”

In his nomination letter for Dean, Betts wrote, in part:

“I have had the pleasure of working with Josh Dean for the past eleven years, first as instructors together at Carrie Lane High School in Charles City and then coordinating with him at the Charles City High School Success Center. During that time, he has continually worked to help at-risk Charles City students in ways that go above and beyond his normal job duties.”

Betts, who has also been named IAAE Educator of the Year and has been a recipient of the IAAE Jim Fenton Lifetime Achievement Award, went on to list several examples of Dean doing just that.

“On a given day, he has contact with 80-100 students in various fashions,” Betts wrote. “He checks grades with students, escorts students to visit with teachers when they are nervous about speaking with one, makes contacts with teachers concerning student progress, counsels students when they are having a difficult day and serves as a sounding board for them. One of his most valuable contributions at CCHS is serving as a liaison between students and teachers/administrators.

“He has an infectious attitude that draws kids toward him,” Betts continued. “It is easy for them to see that he cares for them not only as students, but as people. He is extremely genuine and caring, with an eye toward helping out the ‘little guy.’ … The respect and admiration I have for this man is based on one fact: he cares passionately about kids, especially the ones who we refer to as ‘at-risk.’ And he does something about it.”

Dean said that one of his favorite moments teaching at-risk students occurred recently, when a former Carrie Lane grad had dropped out of school twice.

“I convinced her to return to school,” said Dean. The young woman eventually graduated, and is currently in her first year in the nursing program at NIACC, and she made the Dean’s List.

“I’ve seen hundreds of stories like that in my time,” said Dean. “Those are the reasons you do what you’re doing.”

Dean said it’s those instances that make all the difficult work worthwhile.

“Building relationships like that with young people, and seeing them succeed, that’s the most rewarding thing,” he said.