Despite a 'mass exodus,' these people are giving education a try as a second career

Oct. 1—FARGO — After 45 years as a journalist and a short retirement, Dave Kolpack is trying on a new career in education.

He was hired this year as a paraeducator in the English Learners program at Fargo South High School, working mostly with refugee students who've fled war-torn countries.

Kolpack went into it with the thought of giving back to the community.

"The real ironic thing about that is I'm getting far more back from these kids," he said.

Garrett Foss is driven by a love of coaching football, but his work hours as a paramedic conflicted with practices and games.

He now teaches health careers at Horace High School with a schedule that allows him to keep coaching — a move that felt like destiny.

"Everything I've done, whether I really knew the bigger plan or not, kind of placed me in a perfect position to do what I'm doing," Foss said.

Teachers have been leaving the field for some time

due to COVID pandemic burnout, student behavior issues and other reasons.

The Fargo School Board processed more than 60 resignations since May, facing down a teacher shortage like many school districts in the nation.

Still, some are choosing education as a second career thanks in part to new programs.

Minnesota State University Moorhead launched an online Elementary Inclusive Education program this fall aimed at prospective teachers.

Keri DeSutter, professor in the School of Teaching and Learning, said enrollees include paraeducators, other support professionals in schools and people currently in a different career.

The focus is flexibility, from a light to full-time course load.

Fulfilling the course work and required field experience leads to a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a teaching license that works in both Minnesota and North Dakota, DeSutter said.

The state of North Dakota also has programs to get more people into the teaching pipeline. They include Grow Your Own Teacher, Para to Teacher and teacher apprenticeship programs.

Foss, 36, worked for about ten years as a paramedic for various ambulance services across North Dakota, then segued into emergency medical services education at Sanford Health.

There, he taught first aid, CPR and paramedic level classes for emergency rooms and ambulance services.

He landed in the health careers classroom in Horace thanks to his mother, a career counselor, who told him about a career and technical education route to becoming a teacher.

Foss used the Transition to Teaching program at Valley City State University, designed for new, nontraditional teachers who need an alternative approach to certification.

His career and technical skills as a longtime paramedic allowed him to attain an alternative license and be under contract with West Fargo Public Schools.

"It was kind of like a breath of fresh air into my career," Foss said.

He's now in his fifth year of teaching health careers for West Fargo Public Schools, the first few years spent at Sheyenne High School before he transitioned to Horace High School when it opened in fall of 2021.

In addition to teaching and helping coach football, Foss is the adviser for both the school health care club and competitive video games, or esports, at Horace.

He said there can be hardships in teaching, including behavioral issues with some students, but there are hardships to every job.

"On the worst days, I'm still doing the things that I wanted to do," Foss said.

In a pitch to prospective teachers, he said students are a reflection of the community.

"This is your opportunity to change that if you don't like what's going on," he said.

Kolpack, 63, knew nothing about art, so when he was assigned to teach it to the South High English learners, he completed the projects right alongside his students.

Recently, with one student taking a sewing and design class, he threaded a needle for the very first time.

"I came home bragging about that one," he said.

Kolpack was a longtime reporter for The Forum and the Associated Press before leaving to join his wife in retirement in late 2022. But Denise Kolpack had earned a spot on the Fargo City Commission a few months prior and her schedule was busy again.

Not wanting to sit home alone, he went for the English Learners paraeducator job. Kolpack teaches English to the students, but also math, science and social studies.

"The whole idea is to work on their English while they're learning these topics," he said.

Kolpack said he's fortunate to see few behavioral issues among his students. They're polite and motivated to learn.

"A lot of the older kids, especially the girls, weren't blessed to have a good education, so they came in at square one," he said. However, their younger brothers and sisters are pretty sharp, he said, and are also happy to be in school.

Kolpack acknowledged a "mass exodus" of teachers, but said at this stage in his life, he doesn't think he'd pursue a teaching degree.

"I'm sure if I told some of my bosses that I was interested in teaching full time, they would be really happy about that," he said.