When a turn of events happened at Gibson Southern, retired Haubstadt middle school history teacher Ron Kahle stepped up to take the place of the history position in need.
“Mr. Adams reached out to me after the situation, and I told him I would consider it,” Kahle said. “I went to his office, and we talked, and I agreed to do it for as long as they needed me to.”
Kahle taught for a long time at Haubstadt, and his favorite part was the kids. He loved to be around them and enjoyed teaching them.
“I enjoyed teaching things I love to teach, and I realized the things I like to teach I still like, and the things I didn’t like I still don’t like to teach,” he said.
To Kahle, it was a sign to come back and teach. He never thought he would be back, but his supportive wife told him to go back if he wanted to.
“Someone asked me if I was going to go out here and teach, and so I asked Glenda (his wife), and she said if I was interested in doing that, then I should go ahead and do it,” Kahle said. “The very next day, Mr. Adams reached out to me, so I thought of it as a sign.”
In addition to coming back to a school to teach, science teacher Kasey Knaebel, Kahle’s daughter, also teaches. She was ecstatic when she found out her dad was coming out of retirement.
“My sister’s first teaching job was at Haubstadt, and she and dad got to teach together for several years before he retired,” Knaebel said. “Then, when I started coaching track, dad and I got to coach together in the spring and still get to. Now, I’ve gotten the chance to work alongside my dad in our chosen career, which has been such a blessing.”
Some students who had Kahle as a teacher at Haubstadt Community go to Gibson Southern. Seeing him as a teacher made one student really happy.
“I had Mr. Kahle as a teacher in the sixth and seventh grade for history class,” senior Kynlee Reeves said. “He was one of my favorite teachers when I went to Haubstadt. I look up to him a lot as a person. I am so glad he’s back teaching.”
Kahle has good advice for the upcoming or new teachers starting their teaching career. He said that being yourself is one of the biggest attributes in wanting to be a good teacher to your students and fellow teachers.
“For a new teacher, be yourself, be energetic and be interested in the kids,” Kahle said.
