|
|
|
Hannibal, MO —
When Ken Treaster began his teaching career, the internet was non-existent and cell phones were a futuristic invention.
It may have only been 30 years ago, but a lot has changed in the Hannibal Middle School principal’s career. He’s been a coach and a science teacher in addition to his administrative duties, yet when the bell rings to close out the 2011-12 school year, his career will come to an end.
“I’m looking forward, in the short term, to spending more time with my family, We’ve got a wedding coming up in June and my daughter has her final year of collegiate volleyball. So I’m looking forward to spending some time with those activities with my family,” Treaster said. “As I evaluated the situation, I just came to a point where I understood in my mind, it’s really time for someone else to have the opportunity to take the middle school further in it’s improvement efforts. And now’s a good time with many new programs coming in Missouri’s education standards and teacher evaluation, now is really a good time for another person to step up and hit the ground running at the very beginning of some of these new programs.
Treaster, who attended Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman University), started his career at Mark Twain Junior/Senior High School. He taught science along with being an assistant basketball and football coach, the head golf coach and athletic director.
“There were two physical education teachers that I had classes with when I was in high school and junior high, those two teachers really helped me to understand that they felt that all kids, whether they were gifted with physical ability athletically or not, they treated kids special. And they weren’t just out to work with their best students, but they were out to work with all of their students,” he said. “Some of the most enjoyable moments would be getting to know students who are the sons and daughters of youngsters that I had in class as a teacher. To see their offspring come along and do well in their education and see my students become parents and do well as parents raising their own kids, it’s been very enjoyable to see that. I’m the grandfathered principal it seems.”
STORY CONTINUES AFTER VIDEO
At first being a principal wasn’t really an interest of Treaster. It was just an opportunity that came up.
“I had a principal and superintendent that began to push me toward the administrative field. It’s interesting, those two folks I was associated with at Mark Twain Junior/Senior High School, but then I taught three more years in Hannibal before I really got to a position to where I could really pursue that as a career,” he said. “The era I appreciated the most was early in my career when teachers, administrators and local school boards actually had control — had local control over the curriculum that they taught. We could make our own decisions. And now when we make curricular decisions, we’re trying to keep up with state’s curriculum or with the national curriculum with the new standards. I miss those days when we had truly the opportunity to decide for ourselves what it was that our students needed. Now that we are trying to follow the national curriculum that is trying to come through the common course standards, it saddens me to see local school boards and local administrators and teachers losing control over what they have to teach in their classroom.”
Treaster also taught high school biology for three years and spent six years as the Hannibal High School assistant principal before becoming the middle school principal for the final 16 years of his career. He also served with the Missouri Association of Secretary School Principals where he got to work with a number of senators and representatives.
“I’m sure I’ll miss it. I’ll probably come back and watch from the sidelines, watch some of the extracurricular activities whether it be River City Revue, the show choir, or whether it be athletics. I’m sure I’ll be around and see it. But I’m sure I’ll miss the day to day as well,” he said. “One of the highlights of my career was to have served as president and coordinator for the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals.”
When Ken Treaster began his teaching career, the internet was non-existent and cell phones were a futuristic invention.
It may have only been 30 years ago, but a lot has changed in the Hannibal Middle School principal’s career. He’s been a coach and a science teacher in addition to his administrative duties, yet when the bell rings to close out the 2011-12 school year, his career will come to an end.
“I’m looking forward, in the short term, to spending more time with my family, We’ve got a wedding coming up in June and my daughter has her final year of collegiate volleyball. So I’m looking forward to spending some time with those activities with my family,” Treaster said. “As I evaluated the situation, I just came to a point where I understood in my mind, it’s really time for someone else to have the opportunity to take the middle school further in it’s improvement efforts. And now’s a good time with many new programs coming in Missouri’s education standards and teacher evaluation, now is really a good time for another person to step up and hit the ground running at the very beginning of some of these new programs.
Treaster, who attended Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman University), started his career at Mark Twain Junior/Senior High School. He taught science along with being an assistant basketball and football coach, the head golf coach and athletic director.
“There were two physical education teachers that I had classes with when I was in high school and junior high, those two teachers really helped me to understand that they felt that all kids, whether they were gifted with physical ability athletically or not, they treated kids special. And they weren’t just out to work with their best students, but they were out to work with all of their students,” he said. “Some of the most enjoyable moments would be getting to know students who are the sons and daughters of youngsters that I had in class as a teacher. To see their offspring come along and do well in their education and see my students become parents and do well as parents raising their own kids, it’s been very enjoyable to see that. I’m the grandfathered principal it seems.”
STORY CONTINUES AFTER VIDEO
At first being a principal wasn’t really an interest of Treaster. It was just an opportunity that came up.
“I had a principal and superintendent that began to push me toward the administrative field. It’s interesting, those two folks I was associated with at Mark Twain Junior/Senior High School, but then I taught three more years in Hannibal before I really got to a position to where I could really pursue that as a career,” he said. “The era I appreciated the most was early in my career when teachers, administrators and local school boards actually had control — had local control over the curriculum that they taught. We could make our own decisions. And now when we make curricular decisions, we’re trying to keep up with state’s curriculum or with the national curriculum with the new standards. I miss those days when we had truly the opportunity to decide for ourselves what it was that our students needed. Now that we are trying to follow the national curriculum that is trying to come through the common course standards, it saddens me to see local school boards and local administrators and teachers losing control over what they have to teach in their classroom.”
Treaster also taught high school biology for three years and spent six years as the Hannibal High School assistant principal before becoming the middle school principal for the final 16 years of his career. He also served with the Missouri Association of Secretary School Principals where he got to work with a number of senators and representatives.
“I’m sure I’ll miss it. I’ll probably come back and watch from the sidelines, watch some of the extracurricular activities whether it be River City Revue, the show choir, or whether it be athletics. I’m sure I’ll be around and see it. But I’m sure I’ll miss the day to day as well,” he said. “One of the highlights of my career was to have served as president and coordinator for the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals.”
