New Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Engelman

Rachel Soh, Newspaper Interviewer

There have been many new editions to the technology department in the Fine Arts Academy funded by the federal grants STEM and STEAM, including the new Audio Visual Fundamentals teacher Mr. Engelman. He has many credentials by working with the K-State HDTV team and recording K-State events such as football games and basketball games. During school hours, Mr. Engelman works as a teacher because he finds teaching “fascinating” with the benefit of broadening his experience with teaching students.

“I like guiding students into creating successful products” Mr. Engelmen says

Mr. Engelman enjoys guiding students to producing successful live stream products and is one of the many reasons why he teaches. As a first year teacher, teaching is not easy. Mr. Engelman has to learn new lesson plans, acronyms, language, bell schedules, and standards all with a limited amount of a hour block time period. High school is very different from the college setting since teachers are accountable for students learning in the classroom. Mr. Engelman not only had to think for himself but for many students in his classroom. Thankfully, Mr. Engelman got some background knowledge from his wife who is a music teacher and learns from her student stories. As a teacher, Mr. Engelman had the opportunity to meet students from all over the world and students who have different cultures with the diversity in Junction City High School.

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The origin of teaching audio and video productions all started when he was in high school. Mr. Engelman and his friend created a class that included an old camera and their own individual computers, since there was not much technology to work with, it was still a start. Since this was Mr. Engelman’s first official encounter with creating movies and videos, he had no idea what he was doing. There was no prior knowledge with video editing programs so he learned information primarily from online sources. Through many DIYs and failed attempts, Mr. Engelman knows what it is like to start from the very beginning. This was the start of a new career and love for electric media.

Me on camera 2013

However, Mr. Engelman’s dream job is still undecided. Throughout many of his college years, he started with a music scholarship degree at K-State but he changed his major four times. Initially starting with the music major, he turned to electrical engineering which was challenging but he didn’t want to settle with an engineering career as a lifestyle. Although engineering is interesting and intriguing, Mr. Engelman switched to a photography major. Photography was a kind of media, yet it lacked the social aspect such as journalism and electric media and was more towards the artistic realm of photography. Finally, Mr. Engelman changed his major once more to a electric media and journalism major with the influence of his jobs and interests in the field.

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With the aid of his professor, Mr. Engelman has learned to love and enjoy instructing people and media and lead to his dream as a teacher. As a career, he strives to be a college professor teaching college students and future media journalists to success. Although the current job as a teacher in Junction City High School may be temporary or permanent, it has been worth it.