What kinds of ag classes do you teach?
Agriculture is one of those curriculum areas where we teach everything. If they eat it, wear it, or go outside and play in it, it’s ag. So far, I’ve taught animal science, plant science, metals, carpentry, natural resources, small animal care, and more.

What kinds of things do your students learn in your classes?
I do my best to teach as much production-based ag as I can: how to feed animals, how to grow plants, how to weld. It’s my job to teach skills to these kids, to teach as many skills as I can.

What kind of equipment do you and your students have access to in Wessington Springs?
We have robotic plasma cutters, robotic routers, welding and woodworking equipment, a drill press – we’re in the process of creating an ag laboratory, where we’ll focus on soil science, animal digestion, and meat processing.

How are CTE classes different from core high school classes?
I think CTE classes focus on the person outside of the school – the professional that person is going to become. Other classes are about college readiness, and they prepare them for that. CTE classes focus on a career – what you need to do to get that career, whether it’s college, tech school, or going straight into the workforce.

What is something that surprised you about teaching CTE?
I think I knew that my day was going to be different every day, but I thought that I’d get to a point where Year One is the similar to Year Two, and so on, but I never go there. There are so many changes that are happening in the industry, I’m always learning what people are doing, the new techniques and procedures that are out there. It’s a cool part of it, but it’s not something I expected.