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People Of The Plains: A Panhandle Education

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Louise Baker was an educator in the state of Texas for 30 years. She grew up in New Mexico and that is where she went to college, which is where she met her husband, Kenneth Baker. They moved from city to city because of work. She has taught in Oklahoma City, Okla., Arlington, Texas, and finally in Canyon, Texas.

Baker always had a passion for teaching because that is what her father did, and she “never thought of doing anything else”.

We wanted to interview Louise because of the ever-evolving experiences she had during her teaching career.

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Louise Baker was a teacher for over 30 years.

When Baker started teaching, it was in a school where all the grades were in one building. At that time, she was teaching third grade, but for one hour a day, the principal would come in to teach math and Baker would go teach music.

When she began teaching the emphasis was not on taking a test - there was greater a concern for a child’s well-being and development.

Talking to Louise for an hour was enlightening and extremely interesting.  

The teaching profession is under appreciated, so to meet a woman who not only choose to teach, but did so successfully for 30 years, was inspiring and should give hope to anyone pursuing a career in teaching.

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Luke Amos

Luke Amos was born in Nebraska, where he and his family lived for a few months before moving to South Dakota to spend the winter.

The family then moved back to Nebraska and eventually to Texas. Amos grew up in a town called Panhandle, where he attended school from second grade through high school, during which time he played football and track. he placed third in shot put at the state track meet. He also achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. 

He was also in One-Act and band.  

After his senior year, Amos went to a college called Southwest Baptist University in Boliver, Missouri.

After one semester I fell into a deep depression due to homesickness and lack of friends. His grades plummeted and after his second semester, he came home.

When he got back home, he got a job and went to a psychiatrist for hid depression.  After recovering, he attended Amarillo College for a year and was then accepted into WTAMU, where he has been attending classes, working and hanging out with friends.  

Patrick Wyatt

Patrick Wyatt was born in Dallas, Texas, where he grew up until he moved to Waco, Texas to go to college.

Wyatt quickly moved back to Dallas and began working full-time and when he was 28, he got a great paying job, and met the woman of his dreams. Within a year, they were married.

After getting hurt at work one day, he and his wife decided he should be doing something else for a living and began looking for a school where he could get his bachelor’s degree in physical education, eventually settling in on WTAMU, where his wife had gotten her degree.