Why do you teach at Hillcrest?
I am convinced this is where God wants me, and I absolutely love my
job! I look forward to going to work every day. "When God enables a man to
accept his lot and be happy in his work this is a gift of God"
(Ecclesiastes 5:19)
Educational Background
The son of a Lutheran minister, I moved around a bit
while growing up. Born in Minneapolis, I moved to North Dakota when I was
2 years old and to a small town in northern Minnesota for grades two
through seven. I lived in Everett, Washington for three years before
moving to Salem, Oregon at age 16. I graduated from Salem Academy in 197,
attended Lutheran Brethren Bible College in 1977, and graduated from
Western Oregon State University in 1981.
Dreams & Goals
I hope that my students will see that no subject is more
important or more practical than English. Being able to communicate, read,
write, and understand are essential to every subject. Reading is a
shortcut to experience; we can learn in books what has taken someone else
a lifetime to comprehend.
Activities
Reading is my favorite pastime (what else would you
expect from an English teacher?). but I also enjoy playing games and doing
things with my wife and kids. My favorite summer activity is playing
slow-pitch softball, and our family spends a lot of time at various ball
diamonds watching games.
Work Experience
I worked at various jobs during my college years (a
newspaper, a couple different canneries, a janitorial service) and taught
for a year in the Salem public school as a substitute teacher at all 5
high schools and most of the junior high schools including an extended
stay for a woman on maternity leave. In the fall of 1982, I took the
English teaching position at Hillcrest and have been here ever since.
Family
In 1985 I married the former Lois Blikstad, and the Lord has blessed us
with seven children. Our second son Joseph died of cancer in 1994 at age
four, but the other six live at home with us. Our first born, Trevor, is a
freshmen at Hillcrest, and the others range in age down to our youngest,
Juliana, born in May of 2002.
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Steve
Undseth