In fact, he said he considers himself lucky to have had the opportunity to teach in southwest Kansas his whole career. Dietz spent 23 years in Scott City as teacher, principal and superintendent before he made the move to Lakin. I worked in two really fine communities in this region and I was very fortunate in that respect. There were times of burnout during his career that he had to work through, but being in the classroom seemed to energize him and put things in perspective. The basics of successful teaching haven't changed since his first day in that band room, Dietz said.
Good teaching is good teaching.
The barrier is seeing things from their perspective. It was a challenge to communicate his respect and interest in his students while having to be the disciplinarian, he said. But the next day, you make a point to talk to them. You let them know that the situation is resolved and nothing has changed between us as people. There are some challenges facing education in southwest Kansas.