Have you ever wondered how your favorite teachers found their careers? What sparked their interest in this career as children? Curt Kornhaus’s “original training, original degree from Pittsburgh State, is an industrial arts certification.” This allowed him to teach metalworking, woodworking, and basically anything available to him.
Later, he received his master’s at Pittsburgh State. “I don’t have any specific training in robotics or engineering; it’s just, it goes along with what I’ve been teaching,” he said. He picked up robotics when he was teaching at MMS, McPherson Middle School. “I was trying to find us an add-on program for our technology lab, and I came across these LEGO robots, and how to use robot C programming, and it was text based coding, and so I just taught myself how to use both their programming, he said.” They ended up starting a robotics program at MMS.
It wasn’t an option to become a robotics teacher until later that year, when the principal of MMS transferred over to the high school and offered Kornhaus a job opportunity. “The very first year, about middle of the year, he came down and asked me if I would be willing to start a robotics program over here,” he said, “If you want to teach an engineering class, you’re more than qualified to teach it, is what the state says.” Kornhaus laughed and said, “It’s kinda funny that with my degree certification, they say I’m a jack of all trades but master of none.”
Kornhaus’s interest in teaching was sparked by his dad and oldest brother, he said, “My dad and my oldest brother were both teachers and coaches. I hung around my dad in the summertime, and during school breaks and school, I would help him. He was the head track coach, and so we had work to do on the track during our spring break. I liked the idea of possibly being an industrial arts teacher and having seen my brother and dad teach and coach, I’m a coach as well; that’s what led to it.”
Kornhaus was not originally from McPherson, he said, “In 1985, when I graduated Pittsburgh State, there was no internet, so searching now for jobs, you had to send letters, and there were a few industrial arts jobs. At the time, no school district seemed to want to hire fresh out of college teachers. I got a call to come out to McPherson on July 3, K, because I remember it was the day before the 4th of July for an interview. I’d been to a few interviews but nobody offered me for a job.” This was the only place that offered him a job and he’s been here ever since.
Kornhaus’s college life was a struggle at first. “I wasn’t a strong student, I didn’t know what it was going to take to get through my college classes when I first started them. He said, “his first semester, he had two B’s, a C and then English 101 was a passing failed class. He said, “My mom when she saw my first semester grades she said well these are okay but I’m a little disappointed I thought you’d do better.” This motivated him to do better, “It kicked me into overdrive.” The next semester he got 3 A’s and 3 B’s. He majored in industrial arts education.
Kornhaus chuckled and said, “I plan on retiring but the question is when?” With a goal of four more years he might go three and a half, depending on if he can take it mentally. After he retires he plans on, “A lot of bicycling, a lot of traveling, scuba diving. Stuff like that.”
