Wasilla High's Ford earns Rotary teacher of the year award

WASILLA — Nathan Ford has been teaching and coaching in the Valley for 26 years and at Wasilla High School for 20 years. He’s coached track and field, basketball, football, soccer and wrestling and instructed classes like Health and Outdoor Recreation. In the past two decades, he’s left a lasting impression on his students and colleagues. His efforts in the school also gained him a strong foothold in the community, gaining him recent recognition from the Wasilla Sunrise Rotary Club. Each year, the Sunrise Rotary selects a teacher of the year based on their achievements that match the Rotary creed: “service above self.” According to Wasilla Sunrise Rotary president, Debbie Bushnell, their chapter committee selects teachers for the award based on “exemplary performance in the classroom,” which in turn, benefits the surrounding community.

“I’m super excited he’s getting recognized; it’s well deserved. He always thinks of others. He’s super flexible and connects with his students. He challenges all of us to be better on a daily basis,” said Wasilla High School principal, Carol Boatman.

Ford moved back and forth from Illinois to Alaska in the 80’s and finally settled down in Wasilla in 1991. Before he rooted into Wasilla High School, he coached for many schools across the Valley, including Wasilla Middle, Colony Middle, Palmer High, Wasilla Lakes Christian School, and several soccer and basketball programs. Ford eventually assimilated to the Wasilla area and decided to make that community his focus. Staying active and embarking on outdoor adventures is his credo and he attempts to instill that on his students and even his coworkers. Alaska seems to be an ideal base of operation for his outdoor quests.

“I like hiking, biking, I like motorcycle riding,” Ford said.

Ford said he plays a lot of catch up as a coach. He tends to put everything aside and develops a long list of personal to-do’s that he tries to get to at the end of each sporting season. In addition to coaching various sports, he also instructs students in other classes and fits himself wherever he is needed most for the year. This year, he is teaching health, weight lifting and outdoor recreation. Outdoor recreation is a big class for Ford. That is the one where he tries to encourage his younger Alaskans to gain an appreciation for moving around outside.

“Whenever you go outside, there’s an adventure,” Ford said. “Sometimes kids would rather not take that first step to go outside because it’s so much easier to have a mental adventure on Netflix.”

Ford goes through a lot of wool socks each year. He said that a lot of girls stroll into his class with open toed shoes and sandals. He hands out wool socks left and right, to and fro, and says, “let’s go.” He seldom gets any back at the end of the year. He’s okay with that, as long as his students unshackle from comfort and excuses.

“I always ask my students to look at their limits then push beyond them. I tell them, ‘If you are comfortable, you are not really pushing yourself,’ ” Ford said.

He said that people are “creatures of comfort” and his students hesitate to push past their comfort zone. To get them to new heights, he starts by engaging them, and learns something about them. After making a connection, he defines their boundary and pushes them to establish a new level of performance. After they cross their new level of performance, they go and do it again. He’s coached a total of 36 seasons. Ford said that he’s invested a lot of time into the school. He’s frequently had periods of time when he started his work day 6 a.m. and ended at 6 p.m.

“When I think of Nathan, I think solid. He lives what he teaches.” Boatman said.

Aside from his average sea of students based in Wasilla, Ford has mentored an array of foreign exchange students from all over the world. He’s been known to actively engage them and learn the way of their culture- while assimilating them to their new, unfamiliar environment. He said that he likes to make that initial bond by learning at least one thing about them, be it a hobby, their family, pet, and so on. He goes back the next week and talks to them about what he learned. He said that this method tends to work and the students seem to think to themselves, “hey he remembers, I can talk to him more.” These series of cultural connections in addition to his 26 year portfolio were some of the break out qualities that impressed the folks at Wasilla Sunrise Rotary. The Past President, Dan Kennedy has an exchange student, Augustin (Gus) Montes currently living with him. Gus hasn’t had any classes with Ford but Kennedy has heard a great many things about Ford’s efforts with exchange students in the past, including his work with students that Kennedy boarded over the years, like Victor from Brazil.

“He’s one of those teachers that really embrace the mission of Rotary. With youth exchange, it’s ‘peace through understanding, ‘ ”

Ford was awarded a congratulatory letter, a shiny badge, and a gift certificate to the Grape Tap.

“It’s humbling. I don’t think I do any more than any of my colleagues down the hallway,” Ford said.