Perry and Stephanie Prepare dinner on the Might 2025 graduation ceremony, the place Perry was capable of current his daughter together with her diploma.
Stephanie Prepare dinner graduated from the College of Wisconsin-Stevens Level on Saturday, Might 17, as a fifth-generation Pointer.
Incomes a Grasp of Science in Education in addition to her instructing certification, Prepare dinner is following within the footsteps of her father, Perry Prepare dinner ’83, a UW-Stevens Level professor of schooling and director of the college’s Harju Center for Opportunities in Education. Her grandparents, Ray ’55 and Nancy Prepare dinner ’55, her great-grandmother, Marlea Thayer Prepare dinner ’30s, and step-great-great-grandmother, Lloyd Ravy Prepare dinner ’32, have been all UWSP graduates, along with a number of of her aunts, uncles and cousins.
Stephanie can also be a fifth-generation instructor. Lloyd and Marlea taught in one-room faculties close to Unity and Wisconsin Rapids for a few years, Ray at P.J. Jacobs Excessive Faculty and Nancy at McDill Elementary in Stevens Level. Perry taught science, then earned a Ph.D. at UW-Madison earlier than returning to UW-Stevens Level in 1994.
“It’s particular to have the ability to comply with in my household’s footsteps and know I’m taking the identical programs and having the identical experiences,” mentioned Stephanie.
Even with the household legacy, instructing was not the preliminary plan for both Perry or Stephanie.
“I knew what sacrifices my mother and father needed to make as academics,” Perry mentioned of selecting his profession path. “Nonetheless, my sister, Cindy, challenged me to consider changing into a science instructor. She informed me that instructing was a tough job, however the upsides have been superb – the power to construct constructive alternatives into younger lives and their households. My first instructing job was as a science division chair at Arrowhead Christian Academy in Redlands, Calif., I by no means seemed again.”
He mentioned he fell in love with instructing and realized he may have a fair larger impression by getting a Ph.D. to develop into a instructor of academics. At present he leads programs in science instructing strategies at UWSP and encourages various and first-generation elementary schooling academics in rural schooling as a part of the Harju Heart.
Stephanie earned a bachelor’s diploma in advertising and graphic design and commenced working as a graphic designer. Searching for a change, she started substitute instructing. After 4 months she determined she needed to return to highschool for her instructing certificates.
“I beloved college, and schooling has at all times been in our household,” mentioned Stephanie. “After long-term subbing, I felt like I used to be making a distinction within the lives of my college students, and I appreciated interacting with each kids and adults and serving to folks study and develop.”
Stephanie selected UW-Stevens Level due to the Elementary Education Accelerated Teacher Licensure Certification program, which permits these with a bachelor’s diploma to earn each a instructing certificates and a grasp’s diploma in schooling in two years. Satirically, it was her dad who helped develop it.
“The aim of this system was to fulfill the wants of these wanting to show whereas providing the good thing about including a grasp’s diploma, which provides increased salaries,” mentioned Perry. “It’s the perfect of each worlds. It additionally provides a broad Ok-9 license that was the primary of the Universities of Wisconsin to be licensed by the Wisconsin Division of Public Instruction.”
“This system may be very nicely run,” mentioned Stephanie. “The professors are educated and have the best instruments to create academics who will do nicely within the classroom.”
Perry shared his philosophy for UWSP’s Faculty of Schooling. “We’re searching for college students who’ve the center for working with younger folks,” he mentioned. “It’s an important factor. We will educate every part else, however what we will’t educate is the center. We search for hearts on, fingers on, heads on, in that order.”
One in all his favourite recollections over the previous three a long time at UWSP has been supervising pupil academics within the science classroom his father taught in for his first job at P.J. Jacobs Excessive Faculty. “I even have had the privilege to function the school advisor for CRU for the previous 31 years, an interdenominational pupil group on campus, that I used to be part of as a pupil whereas at UWSP,” he mentioned.
He feels very blessed to see his daughter proceed the household legacy of instructing. His spouse, Jean, is an teacher at Mid-State Technical School, so Stephanie grew up listening to them speak across the dinner desk about what makes good instructing, classroom administration and drawback fixing in artistic and constructive methods.
“There are only a few careers on the planet the place you make a distinction each single day within the lives of others,” mentioned Perry. “As a instructor you might be offering a secure studying atmosphere and a house away from dwelling for lots of the kids and younger adults you educate.
“Understanding it’ll make a distinction of their lives, encouraging them, inspiring them and have a constructive impression – that’s what attracts you to instructing.”
Stephanie is at present searching for a place throughout the La Crosse and Onalaska college districts, hoping to show kindergarten, first or second grade. She appears to be like ahead to carrying on the household instructing legacy and making an enduring impression within the classroom.
“Generally it’s the small wins,” she mentioned. “Whenever you see that one thing has clicked for a pupil, or even when they only attempt one thing new, it’s priceless and thrilling as an educator.”
Written by UW-Stevens Level
Hyperlink to unique story: https://www.uwsp.edu/news/cook-family-teaching-legacy-2025/
