Recipes for Living Jeff and Lori Ehrhardt Family

Jeff and Lori moved to Osceola in 1992. Both of them had been born and grown up in northern Iowa-Lori in Independence. She was the youngest of three children. Her brother is 15 years older than she. He went into the service when she was three years old so she didn't really know him. His children, her nieces and nephews, are not much younger than she. He now works for John Deere Company. Lori’s sister is ten years older than she. She also chose the teaching profession and became an English teacher. She is currently working in Des Moines with Children and Family Services of Iowa. They deal with adoptions, abuse, family counseling, etc. Her area is fund raising.

Lori's father was a classmate of Don and Miriam Butterfield of Osceola, but her dad dropped out of high school to go into the service. When he came back, he went to work, as did many of the service people. Recently someone contacted the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) in their area and suggested that they look up those who had done that. They offered a program whereby they could receive their high school diploma and four people accepted. Lori's father was one of them, and they just recently were given diplomas. Two ladies earned them for their deceased husbands, and two fellows received theirs. The awards ceremony was made into a significant event. There was a standing ovation for the graduates. Lori's dad says that now, with his high school diploma, he is eligible to go to boot camp.

Lori's schooling was in Independence. She graduated from high school in 1982 and went on to UN1 (University of Northern Iowa) in Cedar Falls. She began teaching in 1987.

Jeff grew up in Humboldt, the youngest of four boys. There have been two deaths in his immediate family-a brother was killed in a car accident when he was 16, and his dad had a heart attack and passed away in 1989. The two remaining brothers still live in Humboldt near Jeff’s mom.

Jeff and Lori met when they were both teaching in the same district in northern Iowa. Jeff taught high school math and physical education, Lori taught junior high science, math, and reading. It was a very small school- one year there were 12 students in the graduating class.

There were only two girls in Jeff’s math class and one was from a children's home. She had a reputation of telling stories with questionable veracity. He being a first year teacher, it was suggested that Lori stay in the room, and quietly monitor the situation. She sat in the back of the room and checked papers. Jeff also needed a lady chaperone on the bus, in the locker room, etc. for the girls’ junior high volley ball team, which he coached. Lori also did that. They became good friends and the relationship went on from there. They were married in 1989 and established their home in the very small town of Linn Grove, population about 250, between Spencer and Storm Lake.

Having their first teaching experience in the Sioux Valley school system was very good. It gave them a good foundation, and they stayed for five years. This was a farming community, and there was an interesting work ethic among their students. If the parents called to say, "The cows are loose," there was no question about the student being excused to help. Lori taught sixth, seventh, and eighth grades and it became a common sight to see her eighth grade boys on the highway, driving a tractor to the next field.

A river ran through Linn Grove and one year it flooded. The kids were called out of school to help, and they took responsibility. There was no joking about getting out of school. They pitched in to do their part in taking care of the town and community. The Clay County Fair was and is a very big deal. It is held annually during the first week in September, and all the 4-H kids participate. Often only half the class would be m attendance that week, and everyone understood why. Teachers simply checked how many would be showing at the Fair and accepted the situation. On Kid's Day at the Fair, there was no school.

Other traditions had to do with driving. Parents did not want their young people driving to school. The parking lot looked nothing like those of many schools. High school kids still rode the bus. That attitude affected customs associated with their prom. They didn't hold the event at the school but in a chosen restaurant, and transportation was by school bus. It was interesting to see the junior and senior students in their formals and tuxes boarding the bus, which had been cleaned the day before by the sophomores. ·

What teachers particularly appreciated was that parents backed them all the way. Teachers don't always feel that kind of support and respect. In spite of the pluses, however, there were situations that caused Lori and Jeff to have some concern. There came a time when changes were being considered regarding consolidation and realignment. School size also made Lori and Jeff recognize the possibility that they could both be out of jobs so they began to look elsewhere. Jeff applied for a position in the Clarke system. He was hired, but the principal, Mike Ashton, questioned whether he would accept because there was no opening for Lori. They did accept, Jeff taught, and for the first two years, Lori subbed.

Following that, for three years she taught science in grades 9-12 in the Chariton system. At that point she decided that her preference was junior high age. The students still like school, they are curious and they like being interested in the subject matter. They have lots of energy some maybe have a little too much, but it is stimulating to be around them. In the range of ages, Lori noted a distinct charge when a youth turned 16. Suddenly there was an attitude of I'm 16 and no one needs to tell me what to do." They have so much to learn, but think they have learned it all.

The Ehrhardt children were born over the course of years. While Jeff and Lori were in Linn Grove, Jason was born. He was just four months old when Jeff's father died, but they were so glad that he got to see Jason. Jason will be 10 in August 2001, and will be going int0 fourth grade. He is very quiet around strangers-almost shy. In preschool he wouldn't speak up at all, but he has found his niche in sports. He particularly likes baseball and follows the big leagues. He took part in Little League, which (as of July) is now over for the summer. Lori recently had a conversation about Little League with a friend from another community. They seem to take a low key approach. They use a pitching machine and the kids just go out and have fun playing the game with no pressure. It sounded wonderful to Lori.

On the day of beginning this story, Lori had dropped Jason and Kelli off at the new aquatic center; They love the giant slide and getting together with their friends at the pool. They will be taking swimming lessons and Jason presently is playing golf and taking tennis lessons. Kelli was born during the family's first two years in Osceola. Boys predominated in Jeff’s family. His mom had only boys, his oldest brother has three boys, and the other brother isn't married, so Kelli is very special in that family. Jeff's mom likes to spoil her. .

Kelli will be eight in October 2001, and will go into second grade in the fall. She is the social one. She likes having and being with friends. The family moved 1 1/2 years ago from a neighborhood where there were no girls, and in the new one, Kelli keeps busy going from one house to the next. She likes golf and played t-ball last year but was not interested this 'year. She prefers art-coloring and doing crafts that call for cutting and gluing; and she likes to read. She loves to be mother hen over Taylor, and presently he will allow that.

While Lori was teaching in Chariton, Taylor was born. He will be four in September. He loves cars-Match Box cars and Hot Wheels. He thrives on the attention he gets in the neighborhood. Ross Gould, Mack and Fran McKinnie, Georgia Atherton, and Helen Barnett are neighbors, and it is not unusual for Taylor to go visiting the ladies or be out in the yard in a lawn chair with the men. His love for them seems to be mutual. He also has a wonderful baby sitter, Pat Green. She calls herself "Grandma" to the kids. Lori and Jeff are grateful for Taylor's experience with older people. With no grandparents near, it is really nice for him to have this relationship.

Lori took a year off from teaching when Taylor was born, then taught for two years in Lamoni's middle school. She presently teaches seventh grade science in the Clarke system.

Recently Lori was asked to be part of a task force called together to update a comprehensive school plan, such as she had been invited to do in Lamoni. This is a requirement for each school district, and each department within each school must define its "Standards and Benchmarks" (formerly called "Goals and Objectives"). Teachers do not simply pick up a text book and lead the class chapter by chapter, but must define what they want the students to work on, how former programs can be improved, and where they want students to be by the end of the year. In the past, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were considered a criterion for achievement, but now there are other tests as well.

Lori's science classes study integrated science-earth science, life science, and physical science. Earth science encompasses earthquakes, volcanoes, astronomy, and such. Life science includes the study of plants and animals; physical science deals with matter and energy.

In addition to Jeff’s classroom work, he has coached junior high volleyball, high school boys' basketball, and varsity tennis for both boys and girls. During the last several years, Jeff has gone back to UNI to get his master's degree in middle school math. At the time of this writing he has just three weeks left of his three year program. He has left home on Monday mornings, returned on Thursday nights, and lived with Lori's parents through the week. He has had the advantage of the ICN (Iowa Communications Network) classroom in Johnston, Iowa, where on Wednesday nights he had the advantage of the fiber optic network. By this facility a professor can broadcast from a central location and students in classrooms throughout the state can interact through their own monitors and microphones. Osceola has access to this as well, through SWCC (Southwestern Community College) satellite.

Jeff and Lori chose the United Methodist Church when they came to Osceola. Jeff was raised as a Catholic and Lori a Presbyterian, which church they attended when they were living in Linn Grove. As they became acquainted in Osceola, they noted that many of their teacher friends attended the United Methodist. They began attending and felt comfortable. They particularly enjoy the TLC class that other class members have also mentioned in past Recipe for Living books. The various class members take turns with leadership, and there is a great deal of sociability. When someone in the group has a stressful time, the class provides meals and is there for them in a variety of ways. Jeff and Lori also appreciate such informality that toddlers are welcome. When Taylor does not want to be in the nursery, it is not a problem if he joins his parents in their class.

The Ehrhardt’s are sports fans and have gone to Indianapolis and Cincinnati for professional men's tennis tournaments. They greatly enjoyed seeing such stars as Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in action. In addition to family vacations of going back to visit family, they have gone to Kansas City and anticipate a trip to St. Louis. It will be many hours riding in the car, but the anticipation of seeing a Cardinals' game; the arch, zoo, and science museum are worth it. Jason wants to see Mark McGwire who might hit another home run. Jason's second favorite team is the Braves, so in August they plan a trip to Milwaukee to see the Brewers play the Braves: He also likes the Cubs' Sammy Sosa, but there are no plans for going to Chicago this year. Maybe next year. They have found an excellent way to do that. They gave Lori's parents a gift of Cubs tickets. They were able to take a one-day trip by bus, be transported to the gate before the game, and were picked up at the gate when the game was over.

Jeff and Lori had thought, when they came to southern Iowa, that they would sometime return to northern Iowa to be closer to their parents, but they are discovering that it is becoming harder and harder to consider leaving. Jason has indicated that he doesn't want to leave Osceola, and his parents concede it is a nice size town with a good school system. It is a safe place to raise children. They are not worried about having them go throughout the community. They also have become accustomed to taking advantage of the closeness of Des Moines for the extra special events and opportunities.