Mr. Joe Wetzel has taught at SVHS longer than any other current staff memeber.
Wetzel began his teaching career in Wright, Wyoming, where he taught for three years; he also did some student teaching in London, England, and Minnesota. Wetzel came to Star Valley in the fall of 1992, and this year marked his thirty second year at SVHS.
He started at the old high school in a room at what is now Swift Creek High School, but was uprooted after six years there when he and the rest of the school moved to today’s current high school in 1998.
Wetzel says that education in the future is anyone’s guess, but he added “I have a hunch that remote learning, Zoom, and AI will become larger parts of education as a whole.” Education will definitely evolve greatly in the near future, but as he said, the outcome, well, who knows?
When Wetzel began teaching, cell phones were not even around yet, so for him, everyone having cell phones has changed education the most. He mentioned that at the old high school no one ever used a backpack to carry their things but had a locker because most classes used textbooks.
Another thing students never had when Wetzel started teaching is water bottles. ” I don’t recall anyone ever carrying around a water bottle. Everyone drank from the fountain. Students today would be highly anxious if they ever had to go through the day without their water bottle.” True, having a water bottle at all times is just so convenient!
Wetzell started teaching math at a chalk board with very little calculator use in the classroom. Nowadays, students have iPads or MacBooks, and teachers employ Apple TV’s and digital textbooks to teach. “It seems like everyone also has some form of scientific or graphing calculator” he said.
Some things, however, never change. “Football, basketball, and volleyball have always been a big draw with the teams getting lots of support from the school and community,” said Wetzel. The importance of sports at SVHS will probably never change.
After his teacher career has finished, Wetzel to do some traveling along with more time spent backpacking, hunting, fishing, and in his words, “spoiling the grandchildren.” Wetzel thinks he may teach more years, if not longer.
With all of his experiences, and knowledge, and all of the kids he has taught and met, Wetzel advises, “Diversify your skill set; avoid being a one-trick pony. There is always something new to be learned; keep reading and learning. Take the time to listen to elderly friends and relatives from your grandparents’ and great grandparents’ generation. They have a lifetime of amazing experiences, and they are willing to sit down and tell you their stories. Their lives are like an open encyclopedia, and once they are gone, their encyclopedia closes for good.”
Mr. Joe Wetzel has seen it all, and lived it all. If there is anyone take advice and lessons from, Mr. Wetzel is that person. After 35 years of teaching, he definitely knows best.
