Kathleen Robbins has called Salina, KS her home for nearly 26 years. Kansas and OKWU’s antecedent school, Miltonvale Wesleyan College, have played an important role in her life. OKWU has a foundational part in Kathleen’s heritage and legacy. Her parents, Floyd and grandmother, Grace Woodhams, attended MWC at its inception in 1909. Both of her children, Heather and Jeff, graduated from OKWU.
Kathleen is an active member of the Indian Rock Wesleyan Church where she plays the keyboard and is the director of “Floating down the Jordan,” children’s church. And, her day job also includes education. She says teaching second grade is a very energizing and rewarding part of her life. Using the “hands-on” approach to learning along with “multiple intelligence” and cooperative learning makes teaching and learning fun. In June of 2003, Kathleen was chosen by the readers of the “Salina Journal” as the Best Teacher in Salina and in the surrounding northwest area of Kansas.
In 2002 she was nominated along with 185,000 other teachers around the nation and was chosen as a finalist in the national “Disney American Teacher Awards.” Recognition of creative teaching was the criteria for the award. In 2001 she also received the “Personal Achievement Award” from OKWU and “Who’s Who in America Teachers” recognition.
Kathleen is co-founder of “Hands on Workshops”™. She teaches “Creative Teaching Using Multiple Intelligence,” “Cooperative Learning in the Classroom,” and “Animated Literacy.” She believes, “I have only this moment to touch my students’ hearts, challenge their minds and to motivate and instill the joy and love of the life-long pursuit of learning, accomplishing and pursuing their dreams with excellence.”
Her life is vibrantly rich because of a solid Christian foundation from her home and from Miltonvale Wesleyan. Lifelong friendships and relationships from MWC are “golden” and treasured. She enjoys having a cappuccino with friends in her spare time and wishes you’d drop by and join her sometime!
Her memories of OKWU (MWC) are vibrant and full of “good times.” From the California choir trip and gospel team weekends to Nappanee, NE, which included coon hunting. She remembers cheering unrelentingly for the Sapphonians, the “un”sound-proof practice rooms, Homecoming events and floats, dating and the “S” curve.