TEACHER'S CORNER: MEET TOM HULSHOF WHO TEACHES AGRICULTURE AT ORAN HIGH SCHOOL

ORAN - Tom Hulshof believes that teaching will affect the future like no other profession. Hulshof, who teaches agriculture at Oran High School, is doing his part to shape the future of America.

"As I was deciding on a career," he said, "I thought that helping young people learn about agriculture would be a challenging, but rewarding profession.

"In my opinion, nothing is more important than teaching. I knew that I would have the opportunity to work with students and help them to become successful adults."

Hulshof has taught at Oran for two years. He received his education at the University of Missouri-Columbia after graduation from Kelly High School.

He is single and enjoys golf, basketball, softball and farming.

Hulshof says teaching agriculture involves more than just teaching students information about it.

"I must also help students to deal with all of the difficult decisions that they face as they are maturing," he said.

"Students today have so many distractions that it is a challenge to keep them interested in school. I try to make them realize how important an education is and that it will affect them for the rest of their lives.

"Our greatest challenge is to make students realize how lucky they are to have the opportunity to learn."

Hulshof says it is satisfying to be with young people every day while watching them learn to deal with problems and finding the solutions.

"Helping a student to accomplish something they didn't think possible, and then seeing the look of confidence and self-respect they have is rewarding," Hulshof said.

"To know that I have helped someone realize that they can be successful, whether it is in the classroom, shop or activities outside of school, is what makes me feel that my job is worthwhile."

Hulshof remembers an experience in the shop.

"We were working with small gasoline engines," he said, "and the students had just finished disassembling their engines.

"We had engine parts everywhere, and the students were asking me how much a new engine, like theirs, would cost.

"I told them that they would not have to buy a new one, because they we were going to fix the engine they had just taken apart.

"They didn't believe me at first, but by the end of the year, all of their engines were running.

"I will always remember the looks on their faces when they pulled the rope and their engines started."