5 (or so) Questions with Karen Veerhusen-Langerud

Karen Veerhusen-Langerud has worked in early childhood education since 1979, preparing generations of children for successful lives. She has led the Grinnell College Preschool Laboratory since 1997, where she partners with families, mentors student teachers, and fosters a nurturing, play-based learning environment. A lifelong Central Iowan, Karen is active in the community and loves time with her family — including her two children, granddaughter Marley, and her husband, Steve, who insists she’s “just like the children she teaches — only taller.” She took a few minutes to talk with us about her work, her passions, and the moments that have shaped her life. 

Q: What does your role at Grinnell entail?

A: As director/lead teacher at the Grinnell College Preschool Laboratory, I facilitate research opportunities for Grinnell College faculty and students, and partner with families to help children develop at their own rate, in a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment, where they can explore and construct their own knowledge. This is done by building relationships, making connections with the children, providing interactions, engagement and play so children can build community, respect diversity, solve problems and develop school readiness skills.

One of the best parts of working at preschool is collaborating with Taylor Marsho, Connie Molison, and Grinnell College students, to provide the individualization for children in a fun and engaging way that meets their developmental needs. 
 

Q: How did you enter early childhood education, and what brought you to Grinnell?

A: I’ve always been curious about how to help children develop a love of learning at their own pace. Early on, preschool programs centered play and social skills, but over time academics took over — often raising stress levels for both children and teachers. I’m glad to see a return to play-based approaches.
We moved to Grinnell when my husband, Steve, accepted a Student Affairs position. I first taught Early Childhood Special Education in the Grinnell-Newburg district for 10 years before joining the College Preschool.
 

Q: What has your experience been like working with Grinnellians? 

A: My first connection was with former preschool director Carol Replogle Nielsen ’56, which led to several partnerships. I also worked closely with Janet Welsh ’83, who even served as my long-term substitute during a yearlong bike trip (more on this below). Today, Grinnell students bring curiosity, creativity, and diverse interests into the classroom, enriching our preschool community.
 

Q: What do you do for fun outside of work?

A: I have a passion for bird banding, which I started after a preschool field trip to Bob and Connie VanErsvelde’s property; I’ve helped collect data for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ever since. We band birds from March through November and track migration, population changes, and species longevity. They set up mist nets to catch the birds and they are taken out of the net and put in a holding box in the garage. We collect data on their age, wing length, sex, and weight. There is a fall and a spring migration day where we see many different species that are just passing through as they migrate. The Grinnell College Birding Club comes out and helps too.

I am also an avid cyclist. My husband and I have biked across New Zealand, Australia, and parts of the U.S. I took a leave of absence for the 1990-1991 school year. We left from his parent's home in Forest City, Iowa and started across Iowa. We were going to bike to California where we flew from, and we made it to Nebraska before I hurt my knee and needed rest. We rented a car and camped in Colorado for a while, then took the train to LA and then did a bus tour down the Baja and snorkeled every place we could, while waiting to leave on our trip.

We started in New Zealand and biked both islands and did a great whale watch in Kaikōura. We then flew to Australia and biked from Sydney to Melbourne and took the ferry to Tasmania and biked there too. We took the train to Alice Springs to see Ayers Rock and to the Great Barrier Reef to snorkel, then we went back to Sydney until we were ready to fly home. This travel was before cell phones and GPS, so we became great map readers!!

We also rode to New York one summer, leaving from Younker Hall, where Steve was an RLC at the time. My husband Steve and his college friends rode their bikes to the 1984 Olympics. He is the one that got me interested in biking.
 

Q: What was growing up in Central Iowa like for you?

A: I grew up in Carroll, Iowa, attended Iowa State University for a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood, and University of Northern Iowa for a master’s in special education. My dad was a tinkerer, a builder, and a problem solver. My mother loved working in her rose garden. They both loved camping and fishing, helping others, and never did anything on a small scale. My dad fixed Volkswagens as one of his hobbies, and we often had 25 VWs in our yard. We raised seven hundred parakeets to sell to pet stores and had nine aquariums of tropical fish. They provided me with many opportunities to be curious, love nature, and follow my passions.

Q: What is your favorite Grinnell moment to date?

A: Wearing a Grinnell shirt while traveling always sparks conversations. My family once met a Grinnell graduate in Australia during our cycling trip. My favorite story, though, happened in a GAP dressing room in New York — an employee saw my shirt, told me she was headed to Grinnell, and ended up working at the preschool all four years. I also love running into former preschoolers around town and even teaching their children years later.