Mission StatementThe Nebraska Middle Level Education Association is dedicated to the advocacy of young adolescents and growth of middle level education. Pursuant to this mission, the organization is committed to educating the public concerning characteristics and special needs of middle level students, providing support, research and professional networking to middle level educators, and promoting middle level education.
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SupportWe know that middle level education is important. Bringing together teachers, administrators, and academic personnel, we seek to build a coalition which supports and promotes middle level education.
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ResearchNMLEA is the state level organization of the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE). We work to share the latest ideas and trends in middle level education, serving not just as advocates but as promoters.
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Professional NetworkingFrom nationally recognized speakers to breakout sessions with Nebraska educators, ESU's, and many others from all corners of education across the state, our yearly PDI is Nebraska's largest middle-level focused event.
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For more information on our national parent organization: The Association for Middle Level Education, please visit www.amle.org
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Mary Jo Leininger
Current Position: Principal of PreK – 8 St. Joseph School, York, Nebraska. Middle Level Experience – Middle school teaching experiences include teaching math and science. Prior to my current position, I served as the middle school principal at Norris, Firth, Nebraska for 13 years. |
Randy Schlueter
Kids in the middle are the very best students to mold through teaching them and helping them develop into productive citizens. Currently, I am the superintendent of schools at Tri County, which is a PK-12 school district with 400 students, and I have the opportunity to work with all grade levels. Previously, I spent 39 years in middle level education as a classroom teacher and a middle level administrator and prior to my current position, I was the middle level principal at Beatrice Middle School for fifteen years. |
Josephine Zbylut-Birky
Middle level is special because everyone -- students and teachers -- work together as a team. We are all real and unique and sometimes the students can be honestly "blunt -- they say it as it is." Middle level is "my happy place!" I am currently a Student Engagement Specialist and have 49 years in education, including 13 years Elementary Teacher, 19 years Middle Level Teacher, and 16 years High School Leadership. |
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Chandra Diaz DeBose
Director of Middle Level Education and Assistant Professor in Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. While teaching content is exhilarating, I love guiding students through this major developmental time in their lives. They are changing physically, cognitively, and socially & emotionally all while shaping their identities. My experience includes 13 years as a middle school math educator and 3 years as a professor of middle level education. |
Matt Rosenau
8th Grade Language Arts at Norris Middle School The middle grades are a special place where students begin to really explore their identities, and it's a privilege to be a part of that journey. I have 13 years of experience at the middle level, including three spent overseas working in public middle schools in rural Japan. Across the world, middle level educators and students face similar challenges and moments of joy, and communities such as NMLEA play a crucial role in bringing us together. |
Desiree' Teahon
Current Position: Assistant Elementary Principal & Curriculum Director Middle Level Experience: I taught 6-8th grade special education for 9 years at Aurora Middle School, and now I currently work with middle school teachers in the development and execution of their curricular areas. |
Victoria Lentfer
Dr. Victoria Lentfer is author of Keep Calm and Teach: Empowering K-12 Students with Positive Classroom Management Routines. She is an education instructor at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where she teaches classroom management and middle level courses. Dr. Lentfer offers professional learning for new teachers and veteran teachers in the area of classroom management. She has more than 20 years of experience providing instructional support and teaching in urban, suburban, and rural districts, and extensive work with incarcerated youth. |