For Mr. Don Wagner, this has been a very emotional week as he is moving into a new era and leaving only his legacy and love behind at Greeley West.
Wagner believes that his students have played the most important role in his life as a teacher. “What’s kept me going has been seeing all of these young people enjoy school or at least my class and they are thinking so hard about their life and how to improve it,” Wagner ssaid. “The students who have inspired me the most are the ones who work a job or the ones that are first generation graduates because they work so much harder just to be able to achieve that goal and say “I did it.”
Wagner has made many memories in his time at West and he’ll tell you about all of them But the best stands out. “I truly believe that getting this job is my favorite. The phone call I received when they offered me this job will always be a huge moment for me. It was truly my dream to teach here and so that was very special. It also was the call that led me through everything to this very moment and so I will forever be grateful for it,” Wagner said.
He added “I also will never forget all that happened when my students found out my wife was sick. They offered words of encouragement, they brought gifts, prayed and just supported me through and through. I truly felt so much love from my students and it meant so much and still to this day means so much to feel the love and care that I’ve always given to my students be reciprocated”
Wagner is unsure of what his plans are after retirement, but he is adamant about focusing on himself and his family as much as he can. “I honestly don’t have anything big or crazy planned as of now. However, my first goal is to read so many books, to workout, and work on improving myself alongside mentoring future teachers through UNC and I definitely want to continue to coach as well,” Wagner stated.
He went on to talk about how blessed he feels in these final days. “This school has given me my closest friends. Like, I’ve known Falter for 30 years and have built a great relationship with him and all of my other coworkers. The people I work with are really truly my family and it’s been such a blessing to be surrounded with so much love and friendship throughout my career.”
Wagner is so excited to see what happens with his legacy here at West and is so excited for each and every student he has had saying, “I want to be remembered as the teacher that supported everyone no matter what and truly cared, i want them to remember the passion i brought every day and had for each individual student”
He added, “I hope that my students know that they matter and that they have the power to determine their own success at whatever they decide they want to pursue. For everyone including my students but more importantly for teachers at West; focus on the rewards of this job instead of the frustrations, control what you can control and love on your students so much.”
