How Two IAVA Educators Build Real Connections in Virtual Classrooms

Renee Mente and Karen Zuercher pay attention to the kinds of things that don’t always make it in a progress report. A student who starts speaking up a little more often. Someone who asks for help ahead of time. A shift in how a student explains their thinking. These moments may be subtle, but they matter. 

As teachers at Iowa Virtual Academy (IAVA), Renee and Karen seek to understand each student’s individual rhythm. Every message, every lesson, every check-in is an opportunity to build trust and keep learning moving forward.  

Students may not recall the details of every lesson from a specific week, but they leave their classrooms with a better understanding of how they learn, and with a stronger sense of what they’re capable of.  

Renee and Karen are redefining what connection looks like in an online classroom. While their students log in from different corners of the state, the impact these teachers have is anything but distant.  

Karen Zuercher: Building Trust One Student at a Time 

Karen’s journey into teaching began through support roles. She spent nearly two decades as a classroom aide before becoming a full-time educator. That time taught her how to observe, listen and respond in ways that make students feel capable.  

Since joining IAVA in 2014, she has taught across multiple grade levels and subjects. No matter the subject, her classroom is a place where students can approach a subject with less worry about understanding it and more curiosity about how to learn it. 

One student, after moving to another school, reached out to thank her. The student shared that math had always been a struggle, but in Karen’s class the experience of learning it began to feel possible. 

A key element of Karen’s success has been finding ways to make math come alive for students. She always looks for chances to highlight real-world examples and tie foundational math concepts to students’ passions —from cooking to football.  

Karen doesn’t talk about breakthroughs. She talks about small moments — progress made over time, trust built through repetition, and relationships that continue after the final grade is posted. 

Renee Mente: A Voice Students Don’t Forget 

Renee brings an energy to her teaching that students respond to. Her teaching style uses humor, structure and a clear sense of purpose to create a space where students know what’s expected and feel motivated to reach it. 

Her feedback is always direct and actionable. Students hear the truth from her. She doesn’t sugarcoat things. She also admits when she makes mistakes and is open to students teaching her new things, such as offering tips on technology. 

“If I try to be perfect in front of students, then I’m fake, because there’s a lot I don’t know.” 

Instead, Renee admits when she doesn’t know the answer to a question and may even enlist students to serve as her “research assistant” in finding the answer. 

“I think that makes it more comfortable for the students and makes the classroom a safe place,” she says. 

Renee gives students permission to be themselves, while also holding them to high standards. It’s a balance that’s hard to strike, but she’s made it her signature. 

The Architecture of Attention 

Renee and Karen practice a kind of attention that can’t be automated. They remember what their students are working toward, not just what’s due this week. And they use those insights to guide their responses. Personalized signals that say: someone is paying attention. 

Plenty of students arrive at IAVA needing something more than curriculum. Some are managing anxiety that makes traditional settings overwhelming. Others are balancing jobs, sports, health issues or caregiving responsibilities.  

Karen and Renee meet students with questions rather than assumptions. They make accommodations without erasing accountability. And most importantly they give students a reason to keep showing up — even when life outside school pulls them in other directions. 

Their impact is measured in the student who logs in that day after a hard week. In the assignments submitted late but not ignored. In the gradual return of effort after a period of withdrawal. These things happen because someone on the other side of the screen keeps making clear they’re still paying attention. 

This is What Teaching Looks Like 

They’re patient in a way most of us aspire to be. They’re persistent in ways that often go unnoticed. And they’re present in a form that lives in the memory of every student they refuse to give up on.  

The work Renee Mente and Karen Zuercher perform each day reflects the best of student-centered teaching. Iowa Virtual Academy honors them for what they do — and for how they do it. With care. With humor. And with a deep belief that every student deserves to be seen. 

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