To say Kimberly Sleezer has a full plate is an understatement.
Sleezer, who is a mom, an English teacher at Iowa City Liberty High School, and a first-year doctoral student in the Literacy, Culture, and Language Education program at the University of Iowa, was recently showcased by UI’s Graduate College.
The following excerpt is from the article:
“At 5 a.m., Kimberly Sleezer’s alarm clock goes off, signaling the start of her long, but fulfilling day as a teacher and a graduate student.
Sleezer, who lives in Marion, is doing double-duty as an English teacher at Iowa City Liberty High School and a first-year doctoral student in the Literacy, Culture, and Language Education Program at the University of Iowa. Despite this crazy schedule, she still manages to spend family time with her high school son, Taylor.
‘I'm super structured. I have one child who's still in high school at Linn-Mar,’ says Sleezer, who eats breakfast in her car and dinner during her 10-minute class breaks at Iowa. ‘I'm taking two night classes a week, and then I teach an online class to fund my PhD. My son does not get home from football or wrestling until a little after 7 p.m. every night, and I have either dinner in the crockpot, or something made that he can eat.’
Why pursue a doctorate?
Sleezer, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and master’s degrees from Iowa State and Iowa, is a huge advocate for public education and keeping the state’s brightest and best teachers in state. Teachers are leaving Iowa due to a myriad of reasons, including low salaries and political factors.
‘My goal is to be one of the people who recruits and retains talented individuals,’ Sleezer says. ‘It's a brain drain when they leave. If people are leaving that sends a message that this isn't a good place to stay. We will not be able to maintain the high level that public education used to be in the state. We are not where we used to be.’”