Student Conversations with Connor Klecan
CEHS
Author
01/15/2025
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Description
A conversation between Nick Pace and Connor Klecan, where Connor discusses his journey to becoming a social studies teacher and his future aspirations in the field of education.
College of Education and Human Sciences (CEHS); University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)
CONTENT CHAPTERS
00:00 - Introduction
00:17 - You're Heading To Fairbury, NE
00:56 - Did You Imagine Yourself As A Teacher
01:59 - Why Social Studies
02:55 - What's The Most Appealing Thing About Social Studies To You
04:31 - Do Your High School Teachers Encourage You
04:47 - Where Is Home
05:19 - Were You Overwhelmed When You Came To UNL
06:13 - What Advice Would You Give To Prospective Teachers
08:01 - What Are Your Interests As A Teacher Beyond The Classroom
09:04 - One Word To Express Your Time At CEHS
09:41 - Thanks For Talking With Us
Searchable Transcript
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- [00:00:01.117]Hey, everyone.
- [00:00:01.768]Interim Dean Nick Pace here.
- [00:00:03.236]And today, I'm with future social studies
- [00:00:06.239]educator Connor Klecan.
- [00:00:08.274]Connor, thanks for some time.
- [00:00:09.726]Of course.
- [00:00:10.410]So closing in on student teaching.
- [00:00:14.464]Future social studies educator.
- [00:00:16.433]Yep.
- [00:00:17.584]Let's start
- [00:00:19.803]on the on the what's to come end.
- [00:00:21.921]You're going to Fairbury.
- [00:00:22.889]I am going to February.
- [00:00:23.840]And what's going to happen down there.
- [00:00:25.225]So down there I will be teaching
- [00:00:28.194]I believe it's
- [00:00:29.612]six sections of social studies
- [00:00:31.197]and help,
- [00:00:32.098]help with the study hall.
- [00:00:33.333]So down there I'm
- [00:00:33.900]going to be teaching
- [00:00:34.534]four sections of eighth grade
- [00:00:36.569]American history,
- [00:00:37.821]two sections of freshman world history.
- [00:00:40.824]And then I'll have that study hall
- [00:00:41.958]at the end of the day.
- [00:00:42.926]Excellent.
- [00:00:43.460]Well, as a former social studies teacher,
- [00:00:45.962]I feel yeah,
- [00:00:46.796]I remember the piece of eighth grade US
- [00:00:49.049]history, loved it.
- [00:00:51.401]I don't know if the students always did,
- [00:00:53.269]but I liked it. Yeah.
- [00:00:55.405]So are you the kid that was,
- [00:00:58.508]picturing yourself as a teacher
- [00:01:01.227]from a young age,
- [00:01:02.362]or did you arrive at this late or.
- [00:01:04.681]Okay. So
- [00:01:05.482]How did it happen?
- [00:01:06.332]So I did a lot of, like, public
- [00:01:08.184]speaking, like,
- [00:01:09.052]activities back in high school.
- [00:01:10.503]So I did speech.
- [00:01:11.488]I did one acts.
- [00:01:12.822]If we would have had debate,
- [00:01:14.040]I probably had the debate too.
- [00:01:15.275]Okay.
- [00:01:15.742]So being in front of people
- [00:01:17.060]was always super comfortable for me.
- [00:01:18.928]And my social studies
- [00:01:20.430]teachers back in high school.
- [00:01:21.381]They're like, Connor, like,
- [00:01:22.732]I can see you being a teacher.
- [00:01:24.768]I think maybe you should run with it.
- [00:01:26.719]Okay.
- [00:01:27.203]And at that point, I was like,
- [00:01:29.689]I didn't know because I took a college
- [00:01:32.125]class through Southeast Community College
- [00:01:33.843]my sophomore year of high school.
- [00:01:35.428]And I was like ehh,
- [00:01:36.463]maybe this isn't for me.
- [00:01:37.397]Alright
- [00:01:37.947]So but I didn't know what I wanted to do.
- [00:01:39.899]So I started my college career
- [00:01:42.235]at Cloud County Community College,
- [00:01:44.120]and it was down there where
- [00:01:45.922]I decided whether I,
- [00:01:47.540]I wanted to be a teacher.
- [00:01:48.408]For sure.
- [00:01:49.159]It was just something that I thought
- [00:01:50.760]would be good,
- [00:01:51.528]but I didn't know whether to do it
- [00:01:52.829]in either business or social studies.
- [00:01:56.249]Okay.
- [00:01:57.300]So what swung it to social studies?
- [00:01:59.419]So I ended up taking a,
- [00:02:02.155]you know, an intro
- [00:02:02.839]to education class down there.
- [00:02:04.224]And with that is our
- [00:02:05.391]first round of practicum.
- [00:02:06.476]Right.
- [00:02:06.743]Because up here it was
- [00:02:07.760]you had to take
- [00:02:08.328]your first round of practicum
- [00:02:09.145]I think like your sophomore year
- [00:02:10.013]or something.
- [00:02:10.914]I took mine down at
- [00:02:11.748]Concordia High School
- [00:02:13.249]and I was put into two classrooms.
- [00:02:15.685]It was a seventh grade,
- [00:02:18.171]seventh grade Kansas history class.
- [00:02:20.173]Okay.
- [00:02:20.874]And it was a level
- [00:02:23.610]like a senior level business course.
- [00:02:26.696]My practicum at the social studies
- [00:02:28.832]in seventh grade room
- [00:02:29.999]was so much better
- [00:02:31.201]than the high school one.
- [00:02:32.702]It was a lot more engaging.
- [00:02:34.070]The kids were super into the lessons
- [00:02:36.506]that the teacher was putting on.
- [00:02:38.208]And it was just an overall
- [00:02:39.209]better experience than this senior
- [00:02:40.910]level business course where
- [00:02:41.995]there was like six people in there.
- [00:02:43.563]So it was just it was kind of
- [00:02:44.614]tough for me to
- [00:02:46.583]get involved in this classroom,
- [00:02:49.469]and I could get involved in this one.
- [00:02:51.237]So it made it a little bit
- [00:02:52.138]easier of a choice for me.
- [00:02:53.640]Okay.
- [00:02:55.175]And so
- [00:02:57.393]as a social studies teacher,
- [00:03:01.614]what is, what's the
- [00:03:03.416]what's the most appealing thing
- [00:03:05.034]for you to teach?
- [00:03:06.019]I mean, because, you know. Right.
- [00:03:08.238]I mean, the
- [00:03:08.788]there's a lot of things said
- [00:03:10.323]and written about the,
- [00:03:11.724]you know, the state of the country and,
- [00:03:13.459]you know, political divisions,
- [00:03:14.911]and it's very intense.
- [00:03:16.629]Yeah.
- [00:03:17.363]There are lots of things going and
- [00:03:21.117]lots lands on social studies educators.
- [00:03:24.370]So what what really appeals to you?
- [00:03:26.789]So when it came to
- [00:03:28.308]like learning
- [00:03:29.092]social studies
- [00:03:29.943]in high school specifically,
- [00:03:31.194]I was really,
- [00:03:32.845]brought towards like,
- [00:03:33.863]revolutionary time
- [00:03:35.632]and like Civil War time, too.
- [00:03:38.318]I like seeing how countries
- [00:03:40.470]are being built-up
- [00:03:42.355]and kind of what happens.
- [00:03:44.307]And one thing that I plan to do,
- [00:03:46.192]like with my classroom,
- [00:03:47.727]is I want to have,
- [00:03:48.978]like the tough conversations. Right?
- [00:03:51.898]Because like,
- [00:03:53.099]we can talk about the Civil War,
- [00:03:54.183]for example.
- [00:03:54.801]There's a lot going on between,
- [00:03:56.486]you know,
- [00:03:57.320]Republicans and Democrats
- [00:03:58.438]with like BLM and stuff like that.
- [00:03:59.939]So being able to
- [00:04:01.474]maybe bring in some more modern ideas
- [00:04:04.560]and being able to help understand
- [00:04:06.963]or help my students understand
- [00:04:08.598]what was going on, specifically
- [00:04:10.350]during like the Civil War time
- [00:04:11.551]period, might make it a little easier
- [00:04:13.620]for them to build an understanding,
- [00:04:15.421]but being able to have
- [00:04:16.639]those tough conversations
- [00:04:18.408]in a helpful and a a learning manner,
- [00:04:22.128]I think is something that
- [00:04:24.030]has always drawn me into social studies
- [00:04:26.966]because it's just, you know,
- [00:04:28.668]everything happens for a reason, right?
- [00:04:30.520]Those social studies
- [00:04:31.437]teachers that in high school
- [00:04:33.273]kind of encouraged you.
- [00:04:34.557]Do they know what you're doing now
- [00:04:36.092]and that you're kind of moving
- [00:04:37.777]that direction? Yeah.
- [00:04:38.811]I, I go home
- [00:04:40.263]every once in a while, and I'm really.
- [00:04:41.781]I'm really close
- [00:04:42.799]with my two teachers that I had.
- [00:04:44.567]So.
- [00:04:45.118]And I'm always, I'm always willing
- [00:04:46.853]to, like,
- [00:04:47.820]go out and be like, hey,
- [00:04:48.655]like I'm doing my practicum right now.
- [00:04:50.390]They're like, oh, how's that going?
- [00:04:51.507]And I tell them stories
- [00:04:52.759]about how, how it's going. Good.
- [00:04:54.193]Good resources for you. Yeah.
- [00:04:55.528]A source of ideas.
- [00:04:56.429]Yeah.
- [00:04:56.796]And where's home, home?
- [00:04:58.114]Odell, Nebraska.
- [00:04:59.032]Okay.
- [00:04:59.632]So I graduated from Diller-Odell.
- [00:05:01.534]Okay.
- [00:05:02.068]I graduated with 18 kids in my class.
- [00:05:04.937]15 girls, three boys.
- [00:05:06.739]So it was a lot more one on one time,
- [00:05:09.559]which was nice.
- [00:05:10.443]Like, I think the smallest class
- [00:05:11.878]I had was six people.
- [00:05:14.247]And the biggest class
- [00:05:14.998]I had was maybe 16 to 17.
- [00:05:17.333]Okay, so a small high school.
- [00:05:19.535]When you got here, did you,
- [00:05:21.270]have you found it easy to navigate
- [00:05:22.972]and make connections
- [00:05:23.973]or did you feel overwhelmed
- [00:05:25.191]and you know, lost or did you just
- [00:05:28.261]blend right in and find
- [00:05:29.612]your find your space.
- [00:05:30.863]So when I was choosing college
- [00:05:33.800]that was the big thing for me.
- [00:05:35.551]I didn't want to, like, fall
- [00:05:38.304]within the cracks and stuff.
- [00:05:39.722]So that's why I chose
- [00:05:40.890]Cloud County Community College first.
- [00:05:43.159]Because I was worried
- [00:05:44.761]about like just falling within
- [00:05:46.729]and not really having a voice.
- [00:05:49.132]So being able to go
- [00:05:49.999]to the community college
- [00:05:50.933]and I was super involved.
- [00:05:52.135]I was a RA on campus, student senate,
- [00:05:54.270]I was a tutor down there.
- [00:05:55.638]It really helped me
- [00:05:56.789]build my confidence up.
- [00:05:59.008]So that way when I came up here,
- [00:06:00.810]it made it a lot easier for me
- [00:06:02.278]to run around,
- [00:06:03.713]make friends, get a job now, too.
- [00:06:06.499]I'm been making a lot of friends
- [00:06:07.984]all over the place,
- [00:06:08.634]especially in the education department
- [00:06:11.120]and my cohort.
- [00:06:11.971]Awesome, awesome. So,
- [00:06:16.159]how would you sell?
- [00:06:17.910]I always frame it.
- [00:06:19.128]As you know,
- [00:06:20.396]teachers aren't choosing a job.
- [00:06:22.849]You're choosing a life.
- [00:06:23.966]Yeah.
- [00:06:24.367]Right. It's a 24/7 endeavor.
- [00:06:27.820]You know,
- [00:06:28.438]people just feel that pull like
- [00:06:30.323]it sounds like you did.
- [00:06:31.474]So,
- [00:06:33.393]what what advice would you have to folks
- [00:06:37.080]that are continue are considering
- [00:06:40.433]a teaching pathway or teaching career.
- [00:06:43.503]So the reason I'm doing
- [00:06:44.704]it is obviously not for the paycheck.
- [00:06:46.823]Right?
- [00:06:47.090]A lot of people think that, you know,
- [00:06:51.661]teaching just doesn't pay a whole lot.
- [00:06:53.012]And that's true.
- [00:06:54.113]But I'm
- [00:06:55.081]the reason I'm doing it
- [00:06:56.199]is so I can inspire the younger generation.
- [00:06:59.152]So being able if you're if you're willing
- [00:07:01.854]to take the time with the students,
- [00:07:03.956]if you're willing to sit down
- [00:07:05.575]and have the tough conversations,
- [00:07:07.260]if you're willing to,
- [00:07:08.611]if you're willing to just talk with them.
- [00:07:11.280]Because one thing I tell
- [00:07:12.181]a lot of people is
- [00:07:13.232]we're with these students
- [00:07:14.667]a third of their day, right?
- [00:07:16.502]So you have about eight hours
- [00:07:17.904]where they're at home,
- [00:07:19.138]eight hours when they're sleeping,
- [00:07:20.223]and eight hours in the school.
- [00:07:22.708]Right.
- [00:07:23.359]So if we're able to just spend that time
- [00:07:26.279]and kind of just
- [00:07:27.613]be there for the students, be there
- [00:07:29.749]if they have questions,
- [00:07:30.650]whether it's in
- [00:07:31.684]whether it's in content
- [00:07:32.668]or just life itself,
- [00:07:34.203]you're going to make a difference.
- [00:07:35.488]And for the people that are
- [00:07:36.839]wanting to do it,
- [00:07:38.341]I'd say just do it, you know,
- [00:07:40.643]because we can be the reason that
- [00:07:44.030]these kids are inspired
- [00:07:45.298]to go do big things, right.
- [00:07:47.550]I love it, and you,
- [00:07:50.336]you can get a paycheck,
- [00:07:51.838]but your paycheck might not provide
- [00:07:53.840]you with the opportunity
- [00:07:55.491]to have the impact
- [00:07:56.876]that you just Yeah.
- [00:07:58.077]that you just we're talking about.
- [00:07:59.495]Okay.
- [00:07:59.912]So we first met in August out
- [00:08:03.032]on Mabel Lee Athletic Field
- [00:08:04.734]when we had all the
- [00:08:05.535]welcome back activities.
- [00:08:06.719]And you took a little spill
- [00:08:08.788]in the Yeah.
- [00:08:10.239]I don't even know what to call it
- [00:08:11.307]when you put the big. Yeah.
- [00:08:12.692]The big knocker balls.
- [00:08:13.893]Yeah. Yeah. Right.
- [00:08:16.746]Other things beyond the classroom
- [00:08:18.381]that you're going to be interested in
- [00:08:19.465]as a teacher.
- [00:08:21.150]Sponsoring activities, coaching,
- [00:08:23.703]other things. What's that look like for you?
- [00:08:25.771]Right now, I think
- [00:08:27.573]especially if it's
- [00:08:28.407]like my first couple years,
- [00:08:29.308]I kind of just want to
- [00:08:30.626]get my toes wet,
- [00:08:31.911]kind of feel out the
- [00:08:32.612]school district itself.
- [00:08:33.980]But at some point,
- [00:08:35.665]either sponsoring like a speech team,
- [00:08:38.251]one act team.
- [00:08:39.719]I've always thought about coaching
- [00:08:41.787]baseball and basketball.
- [00:08:42.922]Those are my two.
- [00:08:43.823]Like, those are my sports, you know?
- [00:08:46.142]And really, what I kind of want to do
- [00:08:47.960]is when I go down to Fairbury
- [00:08:49.345]I want to volunteer my time
- [00:08:51.230]either in either in Fairbury itself
- [00:08:53.699]or go back to my old high school
- [00:08:55.101]and help out with stuff too,
- [00:08:56.702]just so I can get my toes wet
- [00:08:58.170]and get, get to that experience
- [00:08:59.989]under my belt for future employers.
- [00:09:01.941]Okay, love it.
- [00:09:05.845]You’re time at UNL in
- [00:09:08.030]the College of Education
- [00:09:09.048]and Human Sciences.
- [00:09:09.865]If I ask you to just capture it
- [00:09:12.084]in one word,
- [00:09:14.003]you know, you're a speech guy.
- [00:09:15.438]One act guy.
- [00:09:17.256]Could you come up with one word?
- [00:09:19.809]Unity.
- [00:09:21.894]I feel like we're all united
- [00:09:23.996]for the same purpose,
- [00:09:25.648]for the same passion.
- [00:09:27.049]And I feel like it's super easy
- [00:09:28.434]for me to go and talk to, let's say,
- [00:09:31.437]an English,
- [00:09:32.421]an English educator,
- [00:09:33.573]and kind of just have
- [00:09:34.423]the same experiences.
- [00:09:35.858]Being able to bounce off,
- [00:09:37.226]bounce off of each other,
- [00:09:38.210]really unites us together.
- [00:09:39.495]Love it.
- [00:09:40.229]So a couple things,
- [00:09:42.598]when you get into student teaching,
- [00:09:46.102]you know, that's demanding, right?
- [00:09:47.420]It's hard. I mean, it's lots of hours
- [00:09:49.188]and lots of time.
- [00:09:50.756]I would love to hear how you're doing.
- [00:09:52.491]Shoot me an email.
- [00:09:53.843]Of course.
- [00:09:54.393]I'd love to,
- [00:09:55.111]love to know how
- [00:09:55.878]it's progressing for you.
- [00:09:57.229]And, thanks for letting us
- [00:10:00.449]be a part of that impact.
- [00:10:02.551]Of course.
- [00:10:03.085]And equipping you to
- [00:10:04.136]to have that kind of impact
- [00:10:05.271]that you're seeking,
- [00:10:06.272]I hope you like ice cream.
- [00:10:07.740]I do.
- [00:10:08.741]Grab somebody
- [00:10:09.241]and get over to the dairy store
- [00:10:10.559]and, grab some ice cream.
- [00:10:12.061]Thank you.
- [00:10:12.511]I recommend Heart of Gold.
- [00:10:14.313]Okay.
- [00:10:14.764]It's named for President Gold.
- [00:10:16.465]It's, vanilla and kind of brownie swirl,
- [00:10:20.753]and it's got just
- [00:10:21.454]a little bit of peppermint in it.
- [00:10:23.155]I'm not an ice cream expert,
- [00:10:24.690]That sounds really good, though.
- [00:10:26.092]I could become one probably.
- [00:10:27.610]It is pretty good.
- [00:10:28.611]So get over there.
- [00:10:29.912]Thanks for the time and thanks for
- [00:10:31.314]letting us be a part of your path. Of course.
- [00:10:32.748]Thanks for having me.
- [00:10:33.432]Cheers
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