My first teaching job in New Mexico

In August 1992, I switched careers and moved to New Mexico! It was quite a monumental year!

I had been in newspapering for three-plus years and with the economy hurting was having difficulty finding a job at a larger newspaper. A college friend of mine who lived in the Southwest convinced me to apply for a teaching job there, and I did. The school principal interviewed me by phone on a Thursday, offered me a job on Friday, and told me school started on Tuesday!

So I packed up everything and drove to my new home - Deming, New Mexico. It is very close to the Mexico border and in the desert. It was quite a culture shock!

I taught English and journalism there. The first here, I taught grades 9-12 at both the middle and the high school. The second year, I taught grades 8-9 at the middle school.

I am still friends today with many of the students I taught all those years ago!

My afterlife experience

Did I ever tell you about my afterlife experience? I was in the University of Minnesota Hospital for lyme's disease in July 1991. While a nurse was putting in a new IV, I started to get woozy and fainted. My heart had stopped!

I felt as if I were floating above the nurse's station and could see myself walking really quickly past it toward an incredibly bright white light. While the light wasn't blinding, I couldn't see through it. Then a voice said, "It's not your time."

I woke up, laying on a hospital bed with all of these people desperately scurrying around me. I had no idea where I was or how much time had passed (I initially thought three weeks had passed!).

When I told the nurses and doctors what happened, they just smiled - but I was the talk of the hospital floor for the next week!

My very first job after college

After college, my first big job was with the newspaper in Red Wing, Minn. I was offered the job in April, about a month before I graduated from college, and I actually started before I'd finished taking my final exams!

I got my very first apartment in Red Wing. It was very large - two bedrooms - and there was a small farm with horses next to it (the apartment building was at the city's edge). In the morning when I'd wake up, I could hear the horses neighing in the background while I enjoyed breakfast.

At the newspaper, I covered Wisconsin news for the paper, which meant writing about Pierce and Pepin counties, where the Red Wing paper was circulated. I also was a copy editor once a month, working on Friday nights editing and designing the Saturday edition.

Interestingly, I can't seem to find any pcitures of my time in Red Wing!

Remember visiting 'the cowboy museum'?

A year ago today we visited the Autry National Center of the American West in Los Angeles. You always called it "the cowboy museum"!

The autumn of 2011 and through the early winter of 2012, you were very interested in the Old West. I bought you some cowboy play figures that you named "Sheriff Jack", "The Deputy", "Calamitous Jane", "Baby Kieran", "Baby Kieran's Mom" and so on.

In the photo at above right, you pretended to be Sheriff Jack riding his horse "Luke" while at the Autry National Center.

I was The Deputy. No name, just "The Deputy." I'm honored to have served with you, Sheriff Jack!

Here are a whole bunch of other photos from our trip.

My teaching, journalism internships

While in college, I studied journalism and English but also took many courses about teaching. My college degree actually is a Bachelors of Science in Education.

This allowed me lots of flexibility when I graduated. With my journalism and English majors, I could go into communications - such as newspapers, magazines, book publishing, public relations, etc. With my education degree, I could teach English or journalism to grades 7-12.

In fact, I spent a semester of my college years (Sept.-Dec. 1988) teaching English and journalism to high school students! I did my "student teaching" at Park High School in Cottage Grove, Minn.

I also did an internship at a newspaper. The summer before I student taught (June-Aug 1988), I worked as a copy editor at the Duluth (Minn.) News-Tribune.

Highest UWRF honor: Chancellor's Award

One of my proudest achievements during my college days was receiving the Chancellor's Award in spring 1988 at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

It was the highest award given each year to campus, and only a few students received it. You have to good grades in your classes and be involved in campus leadership to qualify for the award.

For the award, I received  a big, heavy medal on a ribbon to wear around my neck. I got to wear it at my graduation ceremony (of which I led the march of graduating students to the amphitheater in spring 1989).

Unfortunately, I no longer have the medal (though I do have the cerficate). Somehow in all of the confusion when Jane moved out of the condo, some of my personal belongings - including that medal - were in the boxes that ended up in her moving van.

My email sent to you on Dec. 8, 2012

Here is the email I sent to you on Dec. 8, 2012, just in case you don’t receive it:

Hi Kieran,

How are you doing? I hope all is going well for you. I miss you and love you very much. Unfortunately, I did not receive a response to either of my last two emails. Perhaps you could ask you mother to resend your responses to me.

How is school going? What new things are you learning there? When we were last together, you said you were learning about letters. Have you got to the letter “m” yet? Since we’re getting close to the middle of the school year, you might be there (or must be really close!).

Is your school putting on a holiday program? I wish I could be there to see it! Your cousins Bryan and Rebekah had a holiday program at their schools. They sang songs with their classmates. What is your program called and what do you get to do in it (If you school is having a holiday program that is!).

My schools always had holiday programs, but we called them “Christmas Programs.” Today, though, there are many people who are not Christians that attend schools, so they do not celebrate Christmas. They may celebrate other holidays though; for example, if you are Jewish you would celebrate Hanukkah at this time of year. Many of us, even if we’re Christian, try to show our respect for other people’s religions and beliefs by referring to it as a “holiday program” rather than a “Christmas program.”

Have you written your letter to Santa yet listing what you want for Christmas? What is on your list? Be sure to leave cookies and milk for him on Dec. 24 so that you get lots of presents when he comes to your house (In Wisconsin, children leave him cheese, so they get even MORE presents!)!

How are your friends doing? What do they want for Christmas or other holidays their families might be celebrating? Have you done any fun things with them?

Have you read any good books lately? I did. It was called “Morris’ Disappearing Bag,” by Rosemary Wells. Morris got a disappearing bag for Christmas. Nobody believes it works, until he jumps into the bag and becomes invisible! Everyone then wants to play with Morris and his disappearing bag, but first they have to find him because he’s still invisible! It was a very humorous book to read.

That is all for now. I’m to see you on Dec. 21 and am looking forward to it. I have all kinds of fun presents that your grandparents, aunt and uncle, cousins, me and even Santa have left for you. Be a good boy – and don’t forget to tell mom to resend those missing emails!

Love,

Dad