The new Greene County HIgh School Industrial Technology teacher is finishing up his first year.

Ethan Martin grew up in northwest Iowa and is a graduate of Waterloo West High School. He earned an associate’s degree from Hawkeye Community College, and then went onto the University of Northern Iowa where he received a bachelor’s degree in technology engineering and education. After teaching for two years in northern Wisconsin, Martin says his wife took a new job back in Iowa in Fort Dodge. 

Martin notes that he taught for three years in Fort Dodge, before stepping away from education for one year and worked at an apple orchard in Fort Dodge. Then, he decided to get back into education and he was interested in the open position at Greene County High School, due to the proximity to Fort Dodge, but quickly found out what a gem of a place this is.

“But as soon as I came in to interview, I saw the facilities, I saw the newer school. Being able to talk with (High School Principal) Mrs. (Karen) Shannon and seeing that there is that administration support already set, it made it really easy to kind of jump back in and say, ‘Yes. This is a place that I want to go. This is what I want to be doing. There’s not really a better fit for me right now, this is what I want.’”  

Martin teaches woods and advanced woods, along with home maintenance and introduction to construction. He shares that two new classes will be added for next school year with wood products that focus on the business aspect of woodworking and residential electrical. With the first year of bringing back a woods class, Martin talks about his approach to engage the students.

“We have a lot of students that are just really excited. (I’m) trying to kind of push them away from just the functional builds and more to the aesthetic builds, let’s make it quality, let’s make it pretty, let’s make it something that isn’t just usable.” 

Martin says that his students are building a playhouse for the Little Rams Preschool, and he is partnering with FFA who is helping to fund the project and add some aesthetics, and the  Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) students will be doing an educational component and making the structure usable for the preschool kids. He is also the SkillsUSA advisor and is excited for the future of that club as well while he is teaching with the Greene County School District.