Why Did I Stay So Long

Twenty-four years. Why did I stay so long? When I first started teaching, I thought I would teach for a few years then go into world of agribusiness. I told myself, I would not stay in classroom long enough to teach my own children. All three sons went through my program. So, why did I stay for nearly a quarter of a century? It's quite simple really, I loved what I did. I found joy in helping young people learn and develop as human beings. To understand why I taught, you need to understand a little about me. I spent my first two years of formal education in a one-room country house. I was only one in my class, however there were eight other kids in that one-room ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade. I was a poor reader, spent more time day dreaming than studying, and couldn't wait for lunch and recess. By end of first grade, my reading had not improved much. That year, district consolidated and I went to school in town. The class was mammoth in size - a total of twenty-four kids! Hey, when you were used to being only one in your class, this was a huge increase. The upside, there was special assistance available called Title I that helped me with my reading. In eighth grade, we took IQ tests. I found out later that I ranked 3rd lowest in my grade. Fortunately, my teachers never treated me like someone with a low IQ score. I was an A to B student in every subject but math. To this day I tend to be skeptical of standardized testing scores. I noticed early on there was a difference in teachers. After becoming a teacher, I often looked back to those teachers who made a difference in my life. There was Mrs. Carse, who took me under her wing when I first came to the big school and was terrified because I didn't know anyone. She helped to comfort me and give me confidence that first year. She also provided extra assistance with my reading. There was Mrs. Shafer, my fourth grade She taught Nebraska History by allowing us to build miniature Native American villages and paper mache buffalo. There was Mr. Humprhey in sixth grade, who selected one of my English papers as an example of creative writing. Even though my handwriting was poor, he focused on story I created. I still remember how good that made me feel. Mr. Loose, my high math teacher, effectively taught me to draw houses and floor plans. Mr. Fiedler, our band instructor, taught me what excellence looked like and why it was important. All of these teachers and many others were beacons of light on road to what would become my profession, even though it would be many years before I knew it. My first serious thought of a career was in my senior year of high and focused on farming. My dad was a farmer, most of my uncles were farmers and it seemed a natural choice. I enrolled in Production Agriculture at Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, Nebraska with idea of coming home to farm in two years. However, I ran into a few teachers at NCTA who exposed me to a new possibility. These instructors seemed to really enjoy their jobs as teachers and it showed in their classrooms. I started to hear a whisper in back of my mind - Be a teacher. In fact, my high guidance counselor had suggested this before I graduated high school. I thought she was nuts. Four years of college, are you kidding me? I am going to farm! Eventually, I listened to voice and enrolled in Agricultural Education at University of Nebraska. It was best decision I ever made. My first real teaching experience, like most instructors, was during student teaching. I was fortunate to be placed with an excellent supervising teacher named Dave Creger. Dave wasn't your typical agricultural instructor. He came into profession later in life after farming and several other agricultural-related careers. I think one of reasons Dave was such a great teacher stemmed from his life experiences before coming to classroom. …