A first-year teacher, Sehnert launched his career as an educator Tuesday at Mancos Middle School. He will serve as a mathematics teacher and coach of the boys\u2019 basketball team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited and a little nervous,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a learning experience for both me and the students.\u201d<\/p>\n
After graduating from Fort Lewis College more than two decades ago with a mathematics and secondary education degree, Sehnert immediately went to work at the Lake Mancos Dude Ranch, a family-owned enterprise started by his father. He later opened Cortez K Lawn, a seasonal fertilizer and weed control business, which his wife still manages. He\u2019s even driven a propane truck.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought teaching was something I\u2019d enjoy doing,\u201d he said to explain his career change. \u201cPlus, I finally get to put my college education to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
To become a certified teacher, Sehnert enrolled in two six-week online courses, which he completed last year. A native and resident of Mancos, he only applied to teach in his hometown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited to be here and be directly involved with the community in a different sort of way,\u201d he explained. \u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
On his first day of school, Sehnert said he would remain positive. He will also rely on the discipline his father, Lloyd, instilled in him as a child, to help ensure he uses the best classroom management techniques, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to teach to the kids,\u201d Sehnert said. \u201cI want to help them learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teaching some 85 seventh- and eighth-graders over five class periods, Sehnert said the only homework he assigned on the first day of classes was sending a letter home to be signed by parents informing them of his classroom procedures. Homework on the weekends is a definite possibility, he added.<\/p>\n
Sehnert has been married for 21 years to his wife, Robin, and the couple has twin boys in the fourth grade and an older son in the seventh grade. Sehnert understands that he could soon become a father figure to some of his students, and he plans to draw on his own family experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be a good role model,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to be someone the students can look up to and respect, and hopefully we can build lasting relationships that will impact their lives in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sehnert\u2019s last-minute preparations for his return to the schoolhouse included tweaking his lesson-plan format, arranging desk and chairs and learning to operate the school\u2019s new copier and printer.<\/p>\n