When I finished my college education at Utah State University in 1968, I had to wait until graduation in 1969 since there was only one graduation each year and I had a summer class to take before I could meet graduation requirements.  My first assignment was in Mountain View, Wyoming on a conditional license for one year.

I found that I loved to teach with my own classroom, much better than I had when I student-taught at East High School in Salt Lake City,Utah.  The challenge was that I taught the first year and got 20 years experience!  At Mountain View Jr-Sr High School I taught grades 7-12; 7th grade general science, 8th grade general science, zoology (for which there was no textbook), biology, and chemistry and also speech and drama.

I had the opportunity to direct the school play, I think the first they had ever had.  One of the things that I was asked to do, which did not happen was to coach the 8-man football team.   The extra-curricular activities were the main dislike that I had. I had signed on to teach, not to direct all the social activities in the community that revolved around the school.  It was a good thing that I had not "volunteered" to coach (being not athletically inclined nor having an major interest in sports).  I found that it would have been occupational suicide if I had coached the football team.  When the traditional homecoming game was played against Lyman, Wyoming (a rival school about four miles away) I saw that the "cowboy" mentallity really came out!  It didn't matter who won or lost the game--there would be an "all-out brawl" with the alumni fist-fighting out on the ball field.  In addition,  I would have had the responsibility of cleaning the "cow-pies" off the pasture before practices and ball games or getting students to do it.

With six or seven preps each day, I found that even though I enjoyed teaching, the amount of homework I had to do in preparing lessons, taking scores, and keeping track of grades was the least enjoyable part of the job.  It got so that I even took the opportunity to drive school bus to wrestling meets that were way out in the desert (like Big Piney, WY) and would take team so that I would occassionally get a break from the regular school day.

One of the dislikes that I had was that my superintendent did not seem very supportive of me as a teacher.  In fact, he was studying at the University of Utah and was gone most of the time.  It was very difficult to know what to follow, because Mr. Lammers was not a very decisive person.  It was described that if he were asked the time of day, he would draw a picture of a clock!  So not knowing where you stood with him was difficult.  My principal, Art Kittell, was extremely supportive.  When I could not find housing, I purchased an 18 foot travel trailer, and for the first three months was parked at the back door of the school hooked into the electricity with an extension cord and used the restrooms and shower in the school.  The principal's double-wide trailer was located behind the school near the back door so we were close neighbors.  This was also a dislike.  But, how I loved to work with the students!

By November, I was able to relocate to the only trailer park in Mt. View as they had an open space I could rent.  I now had to drive or walk one to two blocks to school.  I arranged to have a propane tank brought to my trailer so I could keep it heated.  During the winter, the temperatures got to -20 degrees Fahrenheit.  In fact, it was so cold that when I took my shoes off they were just moist and warm enough that they would freeze to the floor by morning.  When I awoke and dressed for the day, I would have to take a pan or some other utensil and use it to hit my shoes so they wouldn't be frozen to the floor and then put my feet into them before leaving for school.  This, too was a dislike and I had forgotten about the experience.  I loved to make a large batch of Indonesian Fried Rice and that would last me for several days.  All I need to do was to heat it up for dinner.  I also enjoyed visiting one of the teacher's, who also coached, for many evening dinners.  One of his daughters was in my chemistry class.  His family also provided television when I visited, for which I was much appreciative.

I was privileged to be one of the advisers of the graduating class of 1969, which was also the same year I officially graduated from college.  I arranged to have Dan Valentine, a columnist from the Salt Lake Tribune to be our graduation speaker.  I really liked working with the senior class activities and the school play but other activities helped me to know that I preferred working with 7th and 8th grade students, not high school.  High school just was not my "bag of tea".  The rest of my teaching career was working with 8th grade students every one of my 38 teaching years, and periodically I had the opportunity to teach seventh grade.

One of my other stories will be how I signed a contract the spring of 1969 to teach in Burns, Oregon and how I sold my Ford Galaxy 500 so I could pull my trailer to my second year of teaching and the experiences in teaching at Lincoln Junior High School for three years.