I have worked as a freelance document editor and website designer while teaching college-level classes part time for the past nine years. I earned a MS in Agricultural Technologies in 2000 and a MA in Professional Communication in 2006. I would have completed the second Masters degree sooner, but a back injury while gardening in June 2004 paralyzed my right leg and part of my left. I recovered the use of my legs and relearned how to walk with a cane, but three years later, I still have issues with numbness and pain.  Regardless, I have not missed a day of work since the first 10 days after the injury. I think I have missed less than two weeks of work in my life. I get better all the time, but the experience certainly makes life more interesting. I thank my wife, Juli, for her constant support.   Before enrolling in college courses, I managed a Texaco convenience store in Overland Park, KS that made roughly $2-million in annual sales. I realized that my lack of education limited my advancement potential, so I earned a GED in 1993 and began taking business-related classes at Johnson County Community College (earned an AA in 1995) to improve my workplace marketability. At the University of Central Missouri (formerly Central Missouri State University, a teaching university enrolling about 15,000 students), my Bachelor’s degree (earned in 1998) focused on the molecular genetics of plants, but I decided I had some issues with this field (no pun intended) of study.

I switched the focus of my Master’s degree to the quantitative genetics (classical plant breeding) of plants, but when I went to get a PhD, I had trouble finding anyone not of retirement age who focused on quantitative genetics. The issue of not having a mentor led me to switch to AgEd with a minor in RPC, but I soon discovered that I was more interested in RPC than I was in AgEd and switched again. The injury to my back made me unable to sit for the amount of time required to pass the PhD exam in RPC, so I switched to the Master’s program. I may still pursue a PhD in education, but money is a limiting factor.

When it comes to communication, my interdisciplinary background in art (raku ceramics and sculpture), general biology, botany, genetics, agronomy, technology, assessment methods (quantitative, qualitative, and combined), and education gives me very eclectic tastes. The eclectic nature of my background allows me to adapt my language to the audience when I teach or write. I have been told many times that I make information easy to understand. This statement is important to me because I believe it does not matter what a person knows if he or she cannot communicate that knowledge to others. I love to teach because I enjoy helping others meet their learning needs so they can pursue their dreams. Students have appreciated my devotion to their learning and have nominated me for both local and national teaching excellence recognition. 

In addition to teaching basic writing, composition, and advanced writing courses, I have taught introductory soil science, field crops, forage crops, and agricultural business leadership. My instructing background also includes tutoring College Algebra, Field Natural History, Zoology, Microbiology, and Plant Improvement as well as supplementally instructing graduate statistics. I also taught composition skills to students on an individual basis in UCM’s Writing Center, where I instructed for two years.

Some people have told me that I have a renaissance education that spans the sciences and humanities. Regardless of whether this claim is true or not, I do believe that people should pursue what interests them. I developed this belief while attending a teaching university whose faculty encouraged me to do just that – pursue what I found interesting. I have worked hard to gain experience in many areas, but I have always kept a strong focus on communication because, again, I believe that it does not matter what someone knows if he or she cannot communicate it.

If you are interested, I have inserted a few images below.

May you have health and happiness…

PHOTOS

Garden in Warrensburg, MO - July 1998	MS Graduation - May 2000	Juli and I at a PFI field day - June 2001
Juli and I at Kevin's Wedding - May 22, 2005 (our 13th Anniversary)	Chuck (brother) and Kevin (nephew)	Chuck, Jo (sister), and me