Today, many students aspire to go to college, get a degree, and have a good time. However, equally as important as high-profile jobs in technology or medicine are the vocationals, jobs which require experience and hands-on skill more so than study skills. Jacksonville High School offers quite a few classes of these sorts such as welding, electronics, and woodworking. The teachers who lead these classes are able to connect textbook material to real life applications, and a prime example of this is Chadwick R. Suhre, who teaches Small Engines, both Intro to Automotive and Automotive Service, and also Intro to Electronics.

When asked about his choice to become a teacher, Suhre responded that “it was always an interest to me, but not a path that was originally taken on my career journey.” He recalled writing a story in third grade about wanting to be a truck driver, a career quite different than teaching. Continuing on the subject of teaching, I asked him what his favorite part about it was. “Introducing students to the possibilities of a vocational career,” he says. “It is especially rewarding to me when a student recognizes within themselves a certain talent that they were unaware they possessed.”

Suhre was born and raised in Monticello, Illinois, and attended Northampton Community College. As his areas of expertise suggest, Suhre enjoys working with mechanical instruments and also enjoys spending time outdoors. He has three cats (two of which are outside), two dogs (one is outside), as well as two goats and three horses, all of which are outside.

To conclude my interview, I asked what his favorite quote was, and his response rang true for someone whose job requires a great detail of accuracy. “If there is never enough time to do it right the first time, then why is there always time to do it over?”