MANKATO, Minn. - Kathy Dierks wanted to be a teacher since she was 4 years old. Her daughter, Katie Rodning, wanted to be a teacher since first grade. Her father, Gary, since college.
Kari Dierks, the oldest child, vowed not to be a teacher, wanting to be different from her parents. But after looking at other options, she decided teaching wasn't such a bad idea after all.
The rest of the family expected the youngest, Jon Dierks, to go into something where he could make a little more money, something that showcased his math skills - engineering perhaps, or programming.
"They tried to convince me not to be a teacher," Jon said. But he wanted to be a coach and he liked math. Teaching was the best way to bring those two interests together.
This is Jon's first year in the classroom and Gary's last, making this the only year all five Dierkses are full-time teachers.
"When we get together on holidays, all we talk about is teaching," said Gary, who has taught math at Mankato East High School for 32 years. He resigned his duties as football, wrestling and track coach two years ago to give younger coaches a shot at it.
It's hard letting it go, said Gary, 58. Being a teacher is something he truly enjoys, something he'll miss. It has a lot to do with the little things, he said, like when kids and adults come up to him, students and former students, just to say "hi."
He went through the trouble of renewing his five-year teaching license so, on occasion, he could come back as a substitute.
"This has been the best year I've ever had," Gary said. "But it seems to be going so fast."
Sharing the last year with his sons first makes it all the more memorable, he said.
Jon, 24, teaches at Martin County West in Sherburn. Like his father, he teaches math to high school students during the day and coaches football, track and wrestling in the afternoon. He participated in those sports at East, coached by his father.
Having his father as a teacher helped his career choice. He saw the fun in teaching and coaching and decided in high school to pursue the career, Jon said.
All five Dierkses graduated from what is now Minnesota State University in Mankato.
Kathy, 56, plans to retire from Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton next year, her 32nd year as an elementary teacher with the district. Her dad was a high school teacher in Iowa. Both her sisters are elementary teachers. Her aunt's a teacher. Her niece is a teacher.
"I guess you could say it runs in the blood."
On the other side of the family, Gary's brother and sister-in-law, like him, are both math teachers. His dad was a math teacher. His grandmother taught elementary in a one-room schoolhouse in southern Iowa.
Gary and Kathy didn't necessarily encourage their kids to be teachers, Kathy said. The money isn't great, and the stress is mounting, she said. But they couldn't help but exude their love of that profession. And their kids picked up on that enthusiasm.
"They always let us know the pros and cons," said Rodning, 27, who's been teaching elementary in Fairmont for five years. "They didn't want to make us feel that was the only way to go."
Kari Dierks, 34, wanted to beat the odds. She was tired of people telling her she would to be a teacher just because it ran in the family.
"I was against teaching," she said. "I wanted to do anything but teaching."
But she liked working with children, she said, and she realized during college she had no idea what else she would rather do.
"I realized my parent's life was a pretty good life," Kari said. So she studied education, became an elementary teacher in Houston, Texas, and hasn't looked back. It's her 10th year in education.
"There are so many rewards," Kari said. Rodning agreed.
"You learn something from the kids every day," she said. "They have a way of making you happy and bringing out the best in you."
The challenges teachers face have grown over the years with new standards and regulations. It's gotten harder, Kathy said, and the pay has remained relatively low. The average starting salary for a teacher is about $30,000.
Despite such drawbacks, however, no one from the Dierks family regrets their career path, and they all find it exciting to be teachers at the same time, if only for one year.
"It's neat and in some ways sad," Rodning said. "It's hard to believe my dad can retire. He just loves it so much."
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