By Kelli Baxter
Rush City High School administrator Kim Erdman said he was ready for a move from Polly Pockets and Pokemon.

The former second-grade teacher at C.E. Jacobson Elementary left his classroom behind after last school year when he was hired as high school administrator.

But don’t call him Principal Erdman yet.

He won’t be bestowed with that title until he finishes his final class in December at Hamline University and spends some time “in the field” with his former boss, C.E. Jacobson Principal Melody Tenhoff.

Kim Erdman was hired as Rush City High School administrator this year, replacing retired principal Mark Saari. Erdman hopes to have his principal’s license by February. Photo by Kelli Baxter

She said she was sad to see Erdman go, but he was ready to take on more responsibility.

“It’s always bittersweet when you have a leader in your building who’s ready to move into a bigger leadership role. ... You want to wish him well, but at the same time you’re sorry to see him moving,” Tenhoff said.

Erdman has been studying the past year and a half to earn his principal’s license. His final task requires a certain number of hours learning how to lead at the elementary, middle school and high school levels.

He hopes to have his license in hand by February, he said.

In the interim, Mark Saari, who retired as high school principal last school year, takes care of the tasks that Erdman isn’t authorized to perform, such as student suspensions and signing off on teacher evaluations. In every other way, though, Erdman is seen as head of the high school.

His reputation in the district is something that has helped make the transition smooth, Tenhoff said.

“He has a good head on his shoulders,” she said. “The district is very fortunate. When the past leadership retired ... he was ready to move forward when they needed him to.”

Erdman gives the credit to the teachers and his office staff.

“They’re an easy-going staff here. They all get along; they like to laugh,” he said
What about when there’s a “grocery list” of things to do on his desk and he’s not sure where to start?

“I have Melody (Tenhoff) on speed dial,” he said.

Erdman also said Saari and retired school counselor Doreen Karlsson have been “fantastic at answering questions.”

At larger schools, you might learn the ropes as assistant principal first, Erdman said. So it’s nice, as a first-timer, to have advice on how to orientate a group of anxious, incoming 7th-graders to the high school.

But there are a few fresh concepts he’d eventually like to infuse at the high school. One idea he’s looking into is something like an abbreviated study hall, for kids who are falling behind.

At some schools it’s called Advisory, at others it’s Check and Connect. But the basic function of the class is “making sure kids aren’t falling through the cracks,” Erdman said.

The short class would be led by a teacher, who would serve as an advisor, checking on students’ grades, giving homework help, asking if they’re showing up for class on time.

“It would be another adult checking on them ... trying to get them on track, in a positive way,” Erdman said.

The former Rush City football and softball coach says he misses interacting with students on the playing field. He had to leave coaching behind now that time won’t allow it, he said.

And he misses his enthusiastic second-graders.

But his goal for them remains the same: Help students succeed.

“We want to give (students) the confidence that they can succeed, but also the realization that they have to put forth the effort to help make it happen,” Erdman said.

That is a challenge he says he is willing to tackle.

Erdman lives in Rush City with his wife, Shari, and their children: Isaac, a 1st-grader; Olivia, who is in 4th grade; and Eric, a 7th-grader.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR KIM ERDMAN:

1. What motivated you to pursue a career in teaching?
I knew I wanted to go into teaching since the summer of my sophomore year in high school. I had an opportunity to teach some summer rec courses with a 2nd-grade teacher in Benson, and I realized I really liked working with kids of all ages. 

2. What do you enjoy most about teaching/coaching?
Connecting with kids and finding out what their interests are. Helping them understand concepts that are hard for them, and then the excitement when they finally get it.
As an administrator I get to watch staff create relationships with kids, challenging them to do their best and helping them succeed when they do not understand something.

3. Have you ever had an experience when you thought, “This is why I’m a teacher?”
Every day. Whenever you have a student thank you, watching a student put into practice what they did not know before, having a parent support a tough decision that will help their child in the long run, getting an e-mail or a call from a graduate who still wants to keep in contact, going to a wedding of a former student and seeing what a fine young man or young woman they turned out to be.

The list goes on and on.

4. What made you decide to move into the role of high school administrator?
I was ready for challenge at a different level.  I still loved going to school every day and teaching second grade, but I also really enjoyed working with older kids while coaching.  It is rewarding on another level. I am not talking to kids about Pokemon cards or Polly Pockets any more, there is more substance to the conversations.

5. What are some of the biggest challenges you face as an educator, and now as an administrator?
One of the biggest challenges for public education is to promote all the good that is happening in the schools when a lot of the media tends to look for the negative. 

The nation wants 100 percent of the kids passing every test. While that is a lofty goal, and we want our kids to do their best work, we also take everyone who walks in the door and we do our best to give them the tools to succeed.

We are called on to do more than educate. Some of the students that walk in the door have experienced more hurt in their short lifetime than many adults.  We do our best to make that student feel like they are in a safe environment and that we care about them beyond test scores.

We want them to leave the building at the end of the day feeling a little bit better about themselves than when they entered.
 

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