A Buettner is Back Teaching TOK at Lecanto High School IB

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Lecanto High School is opening the 2025–2026 school year with a powerful full circle moment: once again, a Buettner is teaching Theory of Knowledge (TOK).

TOK is the cornerstone of the IB program. It pushes students beyond memorization into deeper questions: How do we know what we know? In their junior year, students explore how perception, reason, emotion, and language shape understanding, and how knowledge functions across disciplines such as science, history, math, and the arts. Through real-world examples and thoughtful reflection, they sharpen their ability to analyze knowledge itself, preparing for senior-year assessments. At its core, TOK fosters critical thinking, interdisciplinary connections, and a more reflective way of seeing the world.

This year, Lecanto’s juniors begin their TOK journey with either Ms. Celeste Rausch or Ms. Anna Buettner, an LHS IB graduate (Class of 2019) and the daughter of long-time Citrus educators Tracy and Darrick Buettner. Together, Rausch and Buettner will continue guiding the TOK Class of 2027 through their senior year.

Ms. Buettner brings an impressive background to the classroom. A graduate of the University of Florida, she teaches foreign language at Lecanto, spent a year living in Berlin, and recently completed the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. Fluent in four languages, she has studied international relations and brings a global perspective that enriches both her teaching and her students’ TOK experience. With her academic expertise, international outlook, and IB roots, she is uniquely equipped to mentor students as they begin questioning and shaping their understanding of knowledge.

Lecanto’s TOK tradition runs deep. When the school first launched the IB program in 2010, its founding coordinator, Mr. Darrick Buettner, also became the first TOK teacher. For a decade, he built the program with vision and dedication, earning recognition as the “founding father” of Lecanto IB before moving into a district leadership role in 2020.

This makes the return of Ms. Buettner especially meaningful. Once a student in her father’s TOK class, she now carries forward his legacy while adding her own voice, perspective, and global insight.

Reflecting on the opportunity, Ms. Buettner shared, “I am very honored to be in this role and following my parents’ amazing lead. I am very lucky to work in such an amazing district.”

In today’s world, shaped by artificial intelligence, constant information flow, and global interconnection, critical thinking has never been more vital. TOK equips students to question, analyze, and make sense of complexity. Having another Buettner guiding this journey provides Lecanto’s IB program with both continuity and fresh perspective.

The Buettner family’s ongoing commitment to education reflects a proud Citrus County tradition, where generations of educator families dedicate themselves to teaching and serving students. Their story not only continues this legacy but also highlights the deeper calling of the profession, which carries the promise to prepare students to think critically, form meaningful connections, and face the future with confidence, insight, and understanding.

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