profile EDUCATOR
EDUCATOR PROFILE: Dan Stuckey
Lawrence County Technology and Career Center Introduction to Agriculture, Agriculture and Natural Resources Years of Service: 34
“It’s rewarding when you see kids come back and tell you how proud they are of what they have learned. Kids you don’t think you’ve taught enough come back and tell you that the only reason they have a job is because of what they learned in your class.” Tell us a little about what you teach and the purpose of your programs. Over the years, it’s changed a lot. Now, the emphasis of the program is on what it takes to produce the agriculture products and also on the environmental effects of the industry and other natural resources. The students also learn the basics of welding, carpentry, reading blueprints, and other shop work. When we can, we take on community projects as well. What or who inspired you to become a high school teacher? I grew up working this way. My dad was a carpenter, and we built houses and did other work. I got a lot of experience with FFA when I was in high school, too. I think it was a wise choice—must have been for me to stay so long [chuckles]. After 30+ years in the field, what do you find most rewarding about being a teacher? It’s rewarding when you see kids come back and tell you how proud they are of what they have learned. Kids you don’t think you’ve taught enough come back and tell you that the only reason they have a job is because of what they learned in your class. I’ve got one student who told me the other day that the only reason he was able to get a job welding is because he learned the basics in this program. I graduated my first doctor three years ago—after finishing up here, he went on to college and made it through vet school. Have you encountered adversity in your classroom, and how did you overcome it? There’s always something changing or something out there to confront. For us, we are out of the classroom a lot during the school year, and sometimes it’s hard for other teachers and administrators to understand the importance of the FFA convention or other activities to our students. We just have to explain that this is part of our curriculum and that these aren’t field trips; they are learning experiences for the students. These events take what we do in the classroom and apply it on a higher level. We just have to tie it all together. We might have started with the students in second grade with livestock shows, but one day they walk across that stage at the national FFA convention and win an award. 10
CONNECTIONS Fall 2013