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The teachers will receive their recognition on March 20. The award is presented to Clark County teachers nominated by their colleagues and students.
Walters said he began teaching in the fall of 1991 after a former teacher of his retired.
“He called me and said, ‘I am retiring and I am recommending you to our administration to take my job,’” Walters said. “And I thought, ‘Wow, I never really thought about that.’ I was out in the field for 13 years.”
It was a tough decision at first, he said.
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“After a few weeks of soul searching and other things, my wife and I decided that the car business had been great to our family and it was time to give back,” he said. “So as a 30-year-old father of one, we said, ‘OK, let’s take a leap and do this.’”
It was the right decision.
“I don’t regret it at all,” he said.
“The things that you get from teaching are incredible,” Walters noted. “When you can take a young person who wants to learn a craft that you have and they are enthusiastic about it, you see that they love it as much as you do, you tend to dig down a little deeper.”
CTC Executive Director Chris James said he had to force Walters to apply for the position. He said Walters is humble and a great teacher.
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Walters represents all of the hard working teachers at the CTC, James said.
“I have been in education for 24 years and when I look at teachers, there are certain ones that display over and beyond and show that they want to make a difference in kids lives,” James said. “He is the epitome of that.”
About this series
The Springfield News-Sun will profile four Clark County teachers who have been recognized with the Excellence in Teaching Awards for the 2016-2017 school year, continuing through today.
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