(upbeat music) - Welcome to "A Shot of Ag."

My name is Rob Sharkey, I'm your host.

Do you know about agriculture education?

I do.

I grew up in the system.

I grew up with ag classes, I grew up with an FFA jacket.

And today's Kindra is an ag educator from Kewanee, correct?

- [Kindra] Yes, sir.

- Well, you teach in Kewanee.

Yeah.

- Kindra Callahan.

- That's me.

- Do your students call you Mrs. Callahan?

- They only call me Mrs. Callahan.

- Because nowadays, some of the teachers, they do the whole first-name thing, 'cause they're hip.

- No, I'm not hip.

So it is only Mrs. Callahan.

And I tell them that's for respect for Mr. Callahan, to call me Mrs. Callahan.

Now, behind my back for a long time, they called me only Callahan, or they called me Boss.

Now occasionally on trips, I will let a Callahan slip, like "Hey, Callahan."

- Oh, you're serious.

- But my preference is only Mrs. Callahan.

Oh yeah, I'm very serious.

- What happens when they, like you get a smart-mouth one that says, "Hey, Callahan."

What do you do?

- And I say, "Good morning, Mr.

Smith."

"I'm Mrs. Callahan, and you will call me Mrs.

Callahan."

- Can you hit them?

- I cannot hit them, they don't let us hit the children.

But I do remind them that I think about it.

- Yeah.

- Mm-hm.

- Do you have like detentions, de-merits?

- So we have detentions.

I am anti-detention.

- Because you would have to stay.

- Well, not only do you have to stay, but it's a piece of paper.

And I want you to remember when you were 16-years-old, and somebody handed you a piece of paper that said you have to spend 30 minutes with the person that just made you angry, how much did that improve your mindset or behavior?

- I didn't think that was a point.

I thought it was a punishment.

- Right.

So for me, it's more I'm gonna have a conversation with you.

So I typically pull the student aside, and I'll say, "Hey."

And I do call my students Mr. or Miss, so I'll say "Mr.

Smith."

- [Rob] Really?

- Oh yeah.

- [Rob] Instead of Jimmy and Tom?

- Right.

But it's all about a culture.

I grew up in a "Yes sir" household.

So I'm a "Yes sir, yes ma'am" person.

I don't care if you're 12 or 47.

I'm going to say "Yes sir, yes ma'am."

- 49.

- 49.

I don't care for 49 either.

So, I'm gonna pull them aside, and I'm gonna look at them, and say this is a bad choice.

What are our other options?

And that tends to get me further than a piece of paper.

And I don't like doing paperwork.

So I often say, if you're gonna punch somebody go to the hallway, 'cause then a camera catches it, and someone else has to deal with it, not me.

- I'm learning so much.

(chuckling) - No detentions.

- You teach in Kewanee.

- Yes.

- You live in Bishop Hill.

- Yes.

- Which is 20 minutes away?

- That's fair.

- But, you grew up in Cambridge.

- I did.

On a small family farm.

- Which is just north of Kewanee.

- Yeah, northwest of Kewanee.

- [Rob] I didn't know we were getting official.

But yeah, you're close.

- We have to.

- Yeah.

I wanna say Kewanee has been made fun of on this show in the past.

I mean, obviously not by me.

But "Hog Capital of the World."

It's not true.

- It is not true, but it was at one point.

- [Rob] I'm not sure if it was ever true.

- You don't think so?

Per capita?

- If you're gonna call yourself Hog Capital of the World, how can you say that?

- Well, I don't think that they still believe they're Hog Capital of the World.

- Okay.

- But I think at one point, per capita, there were more pigs produced.

Yes, than anywhere else in the world.

- Well, I mean, we'll let that go.

- I'm gonna fact check it.

There's gonna need to be lots of fact checking.

- Yeah.

- Yes.

- Now, you and Kewanee High School, or Wethersfield?

- Kewanee.

- Because there's two.

- There are two.

- Do you guys not like each other?

- I love all of them.

Now, as an outsider, not growing up in Kewanee, I do think that it's impressive, is the word I'll use, that of a community of that size, that there's two high schools.

- I don't think the Wethersfield kids like the Kewanee kids.

- You don't think so?

- No, because Kewanee is a big school.

- You think it's a big school.

I also thought it was a big school.

Because I graduated with 42 students.

- [Rob] In Cambridge?

- Correct.

But then when I went to Kewanee, I know all of those kids.

It's not a big school.

It's a very diverse population.

But I'm incredibly envious of all those students, because they have way more experiences than I did in high school.

We have a bowling team.

- Kewanee has a bowling team?

- Yes, yes.

- The boilermaker bowling team.

(Kindra laughing) That's fantastic.

- Isn't it?

- I will say that Kewanee Walmart is a special place.

- It is a special place.

- Moving on... Did you always know you were going to be an ag teacher?

- I did not.

- [Rob] What did you wanna be?

- A lot of different things.

So, I grew up in a farm family, right?

And typical farmer's daughter.

Family of entrepreneurs.

And then my dad worked for C.D.

Ford and Sons in Geneseo.

And he also was a snow bird, so he pushed snow in the winter.

And so my idea of agriculture was very production-based.

I was a good student, I loved animals.

So what do you think in a small school, farm girl who loved animals, what do you think I was told I was gonna be someday?

- Podiatrist.

- Correct.

- But for pause.

Yeah, no.

So veterinarian is all anyone ever said.

And I didn't know any different until I went to college.

Went to Black Hawk on a horse judging scholarship.

(bell ringing) And then on to K State.

- Oh?

Really?

- Yes.

Mm-hm.

And I thought I wanted to be a dean of students someday.

Like that was my... Actually, motivational speaker was my dream job.

Like a work in college life.

- [Rob] It's over-rated.

- It is, right?

And work with students, that young 20-something female was what I really enjoyed.

But then I fell in love with the college professor, and moved back to northwest Illinois, and so that was not the plan.

So I got hooked up with some people from Purina.

- Whoa!

Kansas?

Why did you go to Kansas?

- Why did I go to K State?

- Yeah.

- Why wouldn't I go to K State?

- There's a litany of reasons.

I mean it is a well-known ag school, right?

They're very...that's Kansas, that's all they talk about.

That's the purple.

- It is the purple!

- Yeah, the wild- - Good job.

Ever (indistinct) wildcat (indistinct).

- Cougars.

- No!

Wildcats.

So I had an opportunity to consider several different options to go on to judge.

- [Rob] Ah.

- Yes.

- John Woof was a mentor.

Is still a mentor of mine.

That had been since I was 14 years old.

And his daughter was the judging coach at K State.

And I visited several different schools, and considered several different programs.

When my dad and I went out to K State, I was the student trustee at Black Hawk at the time.

So we get to K State, and we park.

And we had recently visited another institution.

I won't name them.

And they were calving on slats.

And I was struggling to see the production ag piece.

So we pull in behind Weber Hall.

We step out, in the middle of campus, here comes a manure spreader.

And my dad and I start laughing.

And he says "Well, it feels like home."

And so from that moment, I decided very much appreciated the passion of tradition at K State.

And then was able to meet several people because of my connection as the student trustee.

- What's that?

Aggieville, or whatever?

- Yeah.

- The place where they all drink?

- Mm-hm.

I never drink there, but yeah, Aggieville.

- Okay.

It's Manhattan, right?

- Manhattan, Kansas.

- It's an incredibly fun town.

- Man-happiness.

- When you're there, everybody there tells you how great their college is.

- Lots of purple.

- Okay.

Well, I'm glad you're...

I think we were talking about Purina.

- Yeah.

- Right?

That's where you...so you came back to Illinois.

- Yep.

- And what were you doing there?

- So I came back, I was a student for substitute teaching, while I interviewed.

And then took the job with Purina in the lifestyle division.

- [Rob] Teaching what?

- Substitute teaching.

- Like what?

Just math and kindergarten, and stuff?

- Whoever would call.

- Oh, okay.

- So, it can be anything.

I avoided junior high, but everything else except junior high.

- [Rob] Why?

They're brats?

- Um...yeah.

- I get that.

- Mm-hm.

They're like, the hormones are a lot.

- Yeah, they're really ramped up at that age.

- They are, it's awkward.

Yes.

- So did you?

Obviously, you grew up on a farm.

So you probably knew the basics about feed and all that?

- I love watching animals eat.

And...I do!

- [Rob] Okay.

- You gotta just sit and watch them sometime, it's fascinating.

And what they do, think about a sustainability model, like cows?

That's impressive.

- They got a whole bunch of tummies.

- It's a whole...They only have one tummy.

- I thought they had four.

- They have four compartments in one stomach.

- I didn't know we were splitting hairs here.

But, okay, anyway.

- So I worked for Purina.

And I had about 40 dealers in the upper Midwest.

Loved the team that I worked with.

Loved the people that I worked with and what I did.

Sales, like we're all in sales roles, right?

You're trying to sell something everyday.

As an educator, I'm trying to sell something every day.

Working with Purina, I was literally selling, but you educate on the way to a sale.

And so, I spent my days with people and their animals, and helping solve issues with products that I had available.

- Just like cows, pigs, horses?

That type of thing?

- Yeah.

So not on the commercial side.

So lifestyle, they consider that if the animal is going to have a name.

Like show animals, horses, zoos.

And then smaller production.

So guys that maybe have a hundred or less cows.

So cow/calf pairs.

- Okay.

- But not feed lots or confinement buildings, all lifestyle.

- Did you like it?

- Loved it, loved it.

I am an extrovert.

And I'm a green personality.

- What?!

- It's so surprising.

- A what personality?

- Green, like the true color matrix.

Green, gold, blue, orange.

- I don't know that.

- Okay, so green is like analytical thinkers.

Gold is like everything has a place, organized leaders.

Blue would be very maternal, empathy.

And orange would be like life of the party.

- I think I'm plaid.

- I think you're orange.

But plaid, probably plaid.

- Okay, but you're green.

- I am green.

I'm green/gold.

I have...blue doesn't usually exist.

And people mistake me for orange, because of the extrovert part, but I'm not very orange.

- Well, you have to be extrovert to be a teacher, right?

- I have a lot of introverted friends that are teachers.

- Really?

- Yes.

- You just get over the whole speaking.

- I think that they just relate to students in a different way.

- Okay, I forget what we were talking about.

Zoos?

- We were talking about Purina.

- Yes.

- Talking about Purina.

So, I loved my job at Purina.

I did, I very much did.

But I was spending three nights a week on the road, 5200 miles a month.

I happened to be at a horse judging contest.

And a dear friend of mine, Lisa Miller, she was a PE teacher and coach.

Now a counselor at Cambridge High School.

- [Rob] Okay.

- And I was close with her family.

- Oh!

Cambridge still has a high school?

- Yes, they still have a high school.

- It's gotta be small then, isn't it?

- It's very tiny.

- Okay, I'm sorry.

- I don't know how many they graduate.

But, if they wanted to come to Kewanee, we would take all of them.

- Okay.

I mean, you're recruiting now.

- Why not?

- All right, I interrupted you.

- I liked it, though.

- You had a friend?

- So she says, they were in, in between ag teachers at the time.

They were kind of like- - [Rob] Cambridge was?

- They were.

And she says "You should consider being an ag teacher."

And I quite literally laughed at her.

I don't know if you know what teachers make in the State of Illinois.

- Honestly, I don't.

- Well, it's less than what you make at Purina.

- Okay.

(both chuckling) All right, so.

- So I laughed at her, and just kept walking.

Like, didn't even entertain the idea.

- Yeah, but sounds like you were getting burned out at Purina.

- But I didn't know I was getting burned out.

- Yeah, this sign feel down.

- I honestly didn't.

- Oh really?

So, I don't understand, so why did you?

- I was on my way to a rodeo with a girlfriend and her eight-week-old baby to see our husbands rope.

And about two miles from my house, we were in a traumatic car accident.

- [Rob] Oh no!

- And she woke up the next day saying, and we both walked away.

Baby, is it five-point, or eight-point harness?

They do that.

And he slept through the whole thing.

- Oh, you're kidding me?

- Mm-hm, mm-hm.

When the paramedics got there, they were like pinching him to try to get him to cry.

Like to make some sort of sound for them.

So she says to me the next day, we were on the phone.

And she felt this huge sense, it's her first child.

Like I walked out of this accident, because I'm supposed to be his mom.

And I had this overwhelming feeling that I wasn't using my 24 hours to the best of my ability.

And wasn't making an impact in our home.

And I called Lisa Miller.

And this is like five years after she makes the comment to me, "You should be an ag teacher."

- [Rob] Oh, okay.

- I said "What do I need to do to become an ag teacher?"

- Okay, first of all- - Me too.

- I'm glad that you're okay.

That obviously had to be pretty traumatic.

- It was, it was wild timing.

- [Rob] Now, were you married at the time?

- Mm-hm.

- [Rob] Where did you meet him?

- So I had known him since I was in high school.

He was the judging coach at Black Hawk, so I judged under him for two years, while at Black Hawk.

And then, when I was at K State, I coached the horse judging team.

And so, we coached alongside each other.

- [Rob] Gotcha.

- And we started dating.

- [Rob] So, love at first sight?

- No.

- I was gonna say?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

(laughing) - 'Cause I didn't see him with a hat for a few years.

So, like I can't- - The hat did it?

- The hat didn't do it.

The dimples are what did it.

He's got great dimples.

Everything for dimples.

- He does have great dimples.

- He does have great dimples.

- Okay, well that's nice.

How long have you been married?

- 12 years.

- 12 years?!

- Yeah.

- Congratulations.

- Thank you.

Not quite 20-something, but we're getting there.

- It's all math.

- It is math.

- You should know as a teacher.

- He's a numbers guy.

I'm not a numbers person.

(host laughing) Okay, so five years.

You probably called about Cambridge.

That had probably passed.

- Well it had.

And I had been doing things as a supportive community member with Mr. Taber, who was the ag teacher there at that time.

And actually, we dreamed up this whole scheme of that him and I were gonna teach together.

Because they co-op with Alwood.

And they were looking for an ag teacher.

And so, we had this whole idea of how we were gonna.

But that did not come to fruition.

And it wasn't supposed, because I was definitely supposed to end up at Kewanee.

- And is that where you went right into?

- I did, yes.

- But you had, you were teaching before.

Did you have like, I don't know what you need.

Like a teaching certificate?

Anything?

- No, no.

I was not a traditionally-trained teacher.

So to be a substitute in the State of Illinois, you have to have a bachelor's degree, or 60 hours?

So an associate's, technically.

Right?

So you can substitute teach.

- I can be a substitute.

- You can be a substitute teacher, probably.

Yes.

- That's kind of scary.

- Yeah, so I wasn't a traditionally-trained teacher.

So I technically have what they refer to as provisional educator's license.

So I have a few more hoops that I have to jump through in terms of continuing my education and professional development.

But I didn't student teach.

My degree is not in education.

- So okay, you get the job, obviously.

Did you do like the whole interview process and everything?

- Yeah, I did.

- Or did they just like, "Oh, she's got a heartbeat."

I think that's what they were looking for, was a heartbeat.

That's not what they got.

My phone rang, and it was a Kewanee phone number.

And at the time, Family Video used to call you if you hadn't checked out a video in awhile.

And so, I ignored the call, 'cause I thought it was Family Video.

I'm not joking!

I was sitting with a girlfriend having coffee.

And the phone number called right back.

And so then, because it's a Kewanee number, I thought "Oh, gosh, I hope something's not wrong with Aaron."

And so I answer it, thinking it was Black Hawk or something.

And the phone, I answer it, and the dude says "This is Jamie Bryan, "Principal at Kewanee High School.

"I heard that you're looking for ag jobs."

- Sounds like a principal.

- That's just what he sounded like, just like that.

I hadn't even applied there.

I was like, "I think that I am looking."

And this was a Thursday.

And he says, "Well, can we look at our calendars "and pick out a time?"

Sure, I'm thinking like a month, or something, right?

He says "How's Monday morning at eight?"

- To start or to interview?

- To interview, to interview, yes.

So I met with him and the assistant principal that following Monday.

And this was in November.

And then, the school board officially hired me in March.

And then, I started that summer.

- Were you scared?

- I was terrified.

Because the assistant principal made the children sound like there were monsters in the classroom that were going to eat you.

But that's not what I was greeted with.

- So going in, you were going to be teaching freshman through seniors?

- Yes, sir.

- So, ag classes?

- Yep.

- And anything else?

- No, just ag classes, and FFA Advisor.

- That's a full-time role?

- That is a full-time role.

- I would think so, because even though it's one subject, you got- - So, agriculture is an umbrella.

I teach multiple areas of agriculture within that.

So I have Introduction to Agriculture, which would be your freshman.

Then, Biological Science Applications in Agriculture.

A semester of plant.

So soil, plant.

And then, a semester of animal.

That's all under that sophomore umbrella.

And as of 2021, in the State of Illinois, that now counts as science credit and can be applied- - [Rob] It should.

- It should.

- [Rob] Yeah.

- Then I teach a veterinary technology, dual credit, through Black Hawk College.

At the time, I was teaching horticulture.

So greenhouse crops.

And landscape design, dual-credit through Black Hawk College.

Agriculture Business Management, dual-credit.

Agriculture Power and Technology is like a senior ag/mech capstone course.

I'm forgetting something.

- I'm sure you are.

- And a semester-long animal science class.

- All right, you seem like a very confident person.

- I am confident.

- Like you said, extrovert.

But tell me about that.

Tell me you for the first day, you stand in front of that classroom, and you got all these little punks looking at you.

Tell me about that feeling.

- Punks is a great way to describe them.

Can I tell you my favorite story from my first day of school?

- [Rob] Do I have a choice?

- No.

I spend like 300 hours in that shop the summer before I started, because the classroom, everything like culture-wise needed clean house.

That needed just a whole re-vamp.

- What do you mean by that?

Culture-wise?

- I mean that there was no leadership, ownership in that program.

So you walked the hallway, I could not pay a student to put on an FFA T-shirt.

- [Rob] Gotcha, I'm sorry, continue.

- Yes.

So, I spent all summer cleaning house.

Like getting it ready.

And I think it was Bobby Knight?

I don't know, anyway there's a basketball coach- - [Rob] The guy that threw chairs.

- Yes, all right.

So, he has this whole thing with teams.

- [Rob] Coached at Kansas, I believe.

(Kindra giggling) - Indiana, whatever.

- Draw a line in the sand, and we're gonna have a funeral for the previous coach, program, et cetera, whatever it is.

So I love that you had an experience before I got here.

I want you to own that experience.

But this is what we're doing now, okay?

So that was the motto that I was going in with.

That I appreciate that you have prior experience, but this is where we start today.

- [Rob] It's my world now.

- Yes.

So I have this like, we're gonna... Punks, the terms you used, love that.

So the punks and I are all gonna get in a circle, and we're gonna do a really cheesy get-to-know-you type thing on the first day of school.

And then we're gonna do some STEM leadership stuff.

So this kid got- - She's one of those teachers.

(Kindra laughing) - Yes.

This kid without missing a beat, he spits on my floor.

- [Rob] Oh!

With the chew, or just random spittle?

- I think that it was just random spittle.

It doesn't really matter.

- [Rob] It's clean spit.

- But I don't even make eye contact with him.

And I keep doing what I'm doing.

And I say "Mr. Smith, you have two options.

You..." And I tell him where the paper towels are right behind him, or that there's another clean up.

And he doesn't move.

And so I believe I mentioned both options.

And I keep going.

And he says, "You're serious?"

And that's when I turned my head to him and I say "I am very serious."

- Were you smiling?

- Oh yes, just like this, I looked just like this.

- It's scarier like that.

- It is scarier.

(both chuckling) That is what I am told, I'm told that it's very... See, that's why I don't write detentions.

- Okay.

- 'Cause it's way scarier.

- Did he do it?

- Oh, he definitely did.

And I later learn that he's like a legacy troublemaker.

That there's like three big brothers before him.

And they do whatever they want.

And I was like "Not in my house."

And so within a week, kids figure out pretty quick.

Like whether they're gonna drop the class, keep the class.

Yes.

So at that point, you couldn't buy a T-shirt.

And I was very, I couldn't pay them to wear T-shirts.

- [Rob] An FFA T-shirt?

- Yes.

But now their families get them for them for Christmas.

- You're like a 1980s movie.

- I love the 1980s.

- Where the- - Which one?

- I don't know.

- Which movie?

- But the new teacher with the heart of gold came in against the jagged teenagers, and won them over.

- That is what I did.

- Because you spit.

- Because you spit.

- How long did it take?

- From him spitting, to him cleaning up the floor?

- No, if you look back and you said, "Well, in the first nine months "I think I broke their spirit."

- Oh.

I didn't break any spirits.

What I did was, I was obnoxiously contagious.

And influenced the ones that I could.

And the ones that I couldn't, they found somewhere else to go.

- Really?

- Mm-hm.

- You didn't kick them out, but the- - I certainly didn't.

I would catch them before they left the room, and I would say, "It's 24 hours before we see each other again.

"I want you to decide if this is where you wanna be.

"If you don't, we'll have a gentleman's handshake, "and I'll still say hi to you in the hallway."

And my classroom was right next to the cafeteria.

So I was always gonna be polite to those kids.

But we weren't gonna jive.

- You saw the movie "Lean On Me."

- Yes.

- Yeah.

Do you have a Sam?

Remember the one, Sam's?

Sam!

He would always yell at that kid.

- Yeah, that's a lesson that I learned from my husband.

You always have one that you can target, that can handle it.

And then the others will fall in line.

Mm-hm.

- You're thinking of somebody, aren't you?

- Oh, I definitely am.

(laughing) - Out of all the students you have right now, which one do you like the least?

- There are some that I like the least.

But I have like a top 147.

- 147?

You like 147 kids?

- I love 147 kids.

- How many kids do you have?

- 147.

(Rob draws deep breath) - Kindra, you have done a horrible job at time management with this interview.

- I'm really sorry about that.

- Yeah.

Look, I mean look, I'm supposed to get all through this.

I got through three.

- Who's in charge?

Kayla or Emily?

- It's always, nothing against Kayla, but it's always Emily.

(both laughing) Can you stay for another interview?

- Mm-hm.

- Okay.

- But for, if someone is watching this one, and they can't wait to find out more about you, is there a place that they can find out about you, or the school, or the FFA online or the old internet?

- Yeah, they can invite me for coffee.

That's the best way to learn about me.

But otherwise I would tell them to follow us on Instagram or Facebook, the Kewanee FFA chapter.

- And that's all they have to do is, Hog Capital of the World FFA chapter.

- And it will pop right up.

- You guys don't have like the TikToks and all that?

- We do, mm-hm, mm-hm.

But your best bet is Instagram or Facebook.

- Or to invite you for coffee.

- Correct.

- Now, if someone was to invite you for coffee, is that assuming that they're gonna pay?

- Nope.

It's actually more likely that they invite me, and I end up paying, because I like to be sneaky like that.

- Okay, I would get the free cup of coffee.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- I'll say if anybody wants to invite me for coffee, you can.

I'm not bringing my wallet.

- Now they know.

- But, I'm not a teacher, either.

Okay, I'm glad you're sticking around, because what you're doing at that high school needs to be talked about.

And I have failed to get to it.

So thank you for sticking around.

That means next week everybody has to come back.

Or, if they're watching it on the streaming service- - Right, they just- - They just click ahead.

- They just fast-forward.

- How cool would that be?

Maybe we should warn people- - 30 seconds, 30 seconds.

- That they should not watch the first one.

And that way they could watch the whole thing.

- Get to what they want.

- I don't think PBS would like us saying that.

- We won't tell 'em.

Don't tell them.

- Okay, all right.

Kindra Callahan from Bishop Hill, working in Kewanee.

From Cambridge.

Thank you, and I cannot wait to hear the rest of the story.

Kindra, thank you.

Everybody else, we'll catch you next time.

(upbeat music)