March 28, 2024

Teacher spotlight

Pendegraft brings love of earth science to Clarke students

Fossils here. Fossils there. Fossils everywhere.

Ron Pendegraft’s science classroom is littered with his collection of rocks, minerals, fossils, artifacts and National Geographic art. And, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Pendegraft can recall when he was little and lived with his grandparents on a farm. At the age of five, he could run all day throughout the farmland.

“I just explored everywhere, and I just got to love that kind of thing,” he said. “I think it’s just in me.”

Across the continents

For a long time, Pendegraft has been collecting, trading and buying artifacts at shows or asking friends and family who are traveling abroad to bring different rocks home.

He has something from every continent, except Antarctica.

“Antarctica is the next,” he said with determination in his voice. “That’s my last continent.”

Pendegraft’s favorite piece in his collection would be the fossils his brother brought back from Alaska, including old walrus tusk tools.

Pendegraft will let his students check out his fossils when they are studying different units in school.

“It’s much better than looking at a picture in the book,” he said.

Teaching

Pendegraft got his degree from Northwest Missouri State University in 1991. He first started teaching in Exira. This was followed by a job in Orient-Macksburg, where he taught for five years.

Then, a job opened at Clarke, and Pendegraft has been teaching in the district for 12 years.

Pendegraft was also in the U.S. Army for 20 years and tries to impart his wisdom from the armed services to his classes.

“You don’t need to learn the different names for the volcanoes or the different types of faults. But, you do need to know how to be organized and you do need to know that you need to show up on time and be prepared,” he said. “That’s what I really kind of stay on them about.”

His classes

At Clarke, Pendegraft teaches seventh grade health class, earth science for eighth grade and physical science for freshman students.

Pendegraft said “without a doubt” earth science is his favorite class to teach. It was his major in college.

The majority of Pendegraft’s classes are for junior high students, an age range consisting of early teenagers that is often thought to be difficult to get through to and teach.

“Oh, they are so entertaining, so entertaining,” Pendegraft said with a laugh. “You get such a wide variety of personalities and maturity level. It never gets dull. There’s always something every day, and plus, they’re at that age where they’re struggling to figure out who they are and what life’s all about. I just want to be there to kind of help them along and answer any questions they might have.”

Pendegraft said one of his goals is to be a person students can lean on and go to for advice.

“I think I’d rather teach this level than any other ones because of the fact that they’re in that transition stage,” he said. “It’s tough to find someone who will put up with you to help you through that.”