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Kip Hansen
South Sevier High School 
  • Subjects you teach:  Agricultural Science, Animal Science, Plant & Soil Science, Natural Resource Science, Equine Science, and Agricultural Systems & Technology.
  • Education and or experience: I have a BS in Agricultural Education and Animal Science from Utah State University and thirty years of agriculture industry experience. 
  • How many years have you been teaching? I have six years of Ag Teaching experience. But one of those years was in 1983-1984. 
  • What do you love most about being an Ag. Teacher?  The thing that I love the most about my profession is that I get to do something that I am truly passionate about.
  • What is your biggest challenge as an Ag. Teacher? After being out of the profession for thirty years and then re-entering the profession I feel like I’m still always trying to play “catch up”, especially with things related to newer technologies.
  • What most prepared you for being an Agriculture educator? I believe that the one thing that has most prepared me to be an Agricultural Educator is the thirty years that I was employed in agricultural industry prior to re-entering the classroom.
  • What does a typical day look like for you? A typical day for me during the school year would look somewhat like this: Meet with FFA members an hour before school starts, working on various CDE or other projects.  Teach four different classes during the day. During the lunch break one day a week I will meet with my FFA Officer Team. After school I might be taking tickets at some school athletic event or supervise a group of students selling concessions at one of these events. Other days after school will include attending faculty meetings or meeting with a PLC group. Usually sometime after “Dark-O-Clock” I go home.
  • If you could describe your career in two to three words what would they be?  I love it!
  • If you could relive one of your most memorable days as a teacher, which day would it be and why? The day that I could relive if possible was a high school graduation day and one of my students sought me out after the event was concluded. He told me, “Mr. Hansen your classes not only kept me in school, they also probably kept me alive”.  What other professions allow you these kinds of experiences?
  • What personal qualities or abilities do you think are important to being successful in this profession? Two anatomical traits that will help you succeed in this profession are, thick skin and a large heart.  The most successful Ag Teachers view their job as both a vocation and an avocation.
  • What would you say to an individual who is considering this profession? To someone wanting to enter this profession my advice would be to take small bites. This is a job that is never done. Especially in a one teacher program you need to pick & choose the things you are going to do. You don’t have to do them all. Find something that you have passion for and do that well. Don’t be intimidated by your predecessors, just make your program your own.
  • What have you learned thus far in your teaching career that you wish you would have known when you first began teaching?  I wish that I had learned earlier in my career that everyone thrives on recognition. We need to seek out ways to individually recognize students.