FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The University of Saint Francis Department of Education is honored to award Barbara (Rindler) Kaiser a Bachelor of Science in Education in recognition of an outstanding 34-year career in education.
Kaiser attended the University of Saint Francis (then Saint Francis College) from 1960 to 1962 as an elementary education major. She earned her license to teach in Ohio under the Teacher Cadet program. She taught two years in Ohio’s public schools.
When Kaiser enrolled her children in a Montessori preschool, she did not realize the impact it would have on her professional career in education. She was curious and driven to learn about the Maria Montessori method of teaching and became a certified Montessori teacher in 1975.
Bringing the Montessori method to young children became her passion which drove Kaiser to found the Children’s House, a Montessori school for 3- to 6-year-old children in Toledo, Ohio, where she served as director for many years.
“The dedication and commitment Barbara made to education have been an inspiration to many over the years. We are very pleased to be able to recognize her work,” said USF President Sister M. Elise Kriss, OSF.
Kaiser’s experiential body of work was peer-reviewed by the Education faculty at the University of Saint Francis through the rigorous Prior Learning Assessment process. The faculty was amazed at Kaiser’s passion, expertise, and continued commitment to children. Mary Riepenhoff, chair of the department, shared that Kaiser’s story is one in a million, and too important not to recognize that her lifetime of work deserves a USF bachelor’s degree.
When asked why she was seeking her degree, Kaiser replied, “I always tell my grandchildren to finish their schooling. I wish I had.”
For more information, contact Mary Riepenhoff by emailing her at mriepenhoff@sf.edu or calling 260-399-7700, ext. 8409.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the School of Health Sciences, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership and School of Creative Arts. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. USF Downtown houses the university’s business and music technology programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis campus experience includes 16 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships and is recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution. Approximately 2,200 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.