STAFF PROFILE: Agriculture teacher Alexander Hess aims to make distance learning as enjoyable as possible
PHOTO: Alexander Hess, Davis High agriculture teacher, teaches his class on Zoom this year during distance learning.
By Declan Fee,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
After a long career journey that has taken many twists and turns, Alex Hess has found a welcoming home at Davis High.
Between attending four different colleges and holding many positions in the agricultural field, Hess has covered a lot of ground in the agricultural workforce.
After working for a year out of high school, Hess attended San Antonio Community College while working agricultural jobs. He then transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to start his teaching credential program.
His first job in teaching was at San Jacinto High School where he taught career and technical education classes. He then started working at the Orange County Fairgrounds Centennial Farm to educate youth on the importance of agriculture.
Hess then began his doctoral program in education at UC Davis and after completing that, had a three-year stint working at Cal Poly Pomona. After this, he got a job at DHS.
When he arrived at DHS, he quickly found a place teaching agriculture classes. He is also one of the lead advisers of the DHS chapter of the Future Farmers of America.
Hess’s colleague, Aria Lindsay, also works as an adviser for FFA. She is very thankful for Hess and the work he puts in for the school. “Working with Mr. Hess has been a super positive experience,” Lindsay said.
His love for teaching makes it difficult to step away from the classroom, so the pandemic has been hard on Hess.
For Hess, one of the worst parts about distance learning is that there is less of a personal connection. ”Students are missing out on social moments, the things that happen in between class,” Hess said.
However, Hess applauds his students for making the most of distance learning and staying engaged in class.
“Students are working to make it as positive as they can,” Hess said.
