Much of Lori Klooz’s work involves teaching technology, but she sees it as just a means to an end.
    She said she uses it to teach problem solving and critical thinking, skills that will stay the same even as technology rapidly changes—and work along with it.
    “Lots of [students] will have jobs that haven’t been created [yet],” Klooz said.
    The 46-year-old Hordville, Nebraska, native is one of two new teachers in the Wauneta-Palisade School District, and the only one at the high school.
    She will teach English 10 and 11 and team-teach sixth-grade reading. She also will have a freshman technology class and a junior high exploratory technology class.
    She replaces Jennifer Loker.
    Klooz graduated from University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1994 with endorsements to teach math and English. After starting her career in Ewing, Nebraska, she taught in several more districts and, along the way, earned a master’s in instructional technology, with an endorsement in information technology, also from UNK.
    Also along the way, she met and married Randall Klooz, often accompanying him to districts when he took administrative jobs. He has just started as superintendent of Chase County Schools.
    She has served as technology coordinator in some of the districts where she worked, in addition to teaching.
    Because much of her work involved technology integration in schools, she was able to keep teaching as well. “I gained a lot of insight at a lot of different grade levels that’ll help me in my classroom,” she said.

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