Southwestern High School’s Tim Reed to Teach Animal Courses This Summer
Godfrey, Ill. – Growing up, Tim Reed wanted to be an astronaut – and through a College for Kids program at Southeastern Illinois College, the Herod, Ill. native spent his young summers exploring space.
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Over the years his interests and dreams changed and Reed became a high school science teacher, but he never forgot his experiences all those years ago. Today, he teaches at a similar College for Kids program at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey.
“College for Kids is a great way to explore different subjects you don’t necessarily learn at regular school,” Reed said. “My students are going to have an awesome fun time learning about animals they may have taken for granted in the past in a fun and creative way. We play lots of games and try to make learning fun.”
This summer, Reed will teach three weeklong courses on animal science at Lewis and Clark’s Godfrey campus: Exploring Livestock & Exotic Animals (ages 11-14), Pet Detectives (ages 7-9) and Live Animal Lab (ages 10-14).
“I taught Live Animal Lab last year, and after all the positive reviews, they wanted it back,” Reed said. “It’s all about small animals and how fun they can be – not necessarily as pets, but for those students who might have an interest in becoming veterinarians one day.”
At Southwestern High School, Reed is an agriculture teacher who teachers zoology and botany, as well as pre-veterinary studies. Several of his former students have gone on to become veterinarians.
The Livestock and Exotic Animals class will only meet in the classroom three days – and spend the other two touring a dairy farm, where students will get to see live horses up close, and taking a trip to the zoo, complete with a scavenger hunt.
Pet Detectives is more for younger children, to help them figure out which pet suits them the best.
Reed holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Illinois and a master's degree in teaching in instructional strategies from Rockford College. He has also studied agriculture at the St. Petersburg Agrarian University in Russia.
During his 13 years teaching in the district, Tim has been named Illinois Agriculture Teacher of the Year and has won Emerson Electric’s Excellence in Teaching award. He is also FFA advisor, Theater director and Drama Club sponsor at Southwestern.
He has worked with animals his entire life and loves teaching his students about animal science. In addition to growing up on a horse and cattle farm, his family still raises rabbits – his daughter even shows them.
"Tim has been a great addition to the College for Kids teaching staff. His extensive background in animal science coupled with his passion for educating kids is a winning combination,” said Katie Haas, assistant director for Corporate and Community Learning at Lewis and Clark.
Exploring Livestock & Exotic Animals runs Monday through Friday, June 6-10, Live Animal Lab runs Monday-Friday June 27-July 1, and Pet Detectives runs Monday through Friday July 25-29.
To register, contact Lewis and Clark’s Enrollment Center at (618) 468-7000.
Visit www.lc.edu/ccl to view the full 2011 College for Kids schedule, or call the College for Kids office at (618) 468-5777 with any questions regarding the classes or program.
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