At the end of this year, Bethany will be losing two great teachers. Nathan Swartzendruber and his wife will be moving to Iowa along with Craig Mast and his family moving to Ohio. Both will be moving closer to family.
The idea of teachers leaving is often hard for many students as we will miss those who are leaving and have to get used to a new style of teaching. However, both Nathan and Craig stated that they will miss everyone that they work with from bosses to coworkers to students. Craig in particular, said that he would miss the atmosphere most as it is “rare to have a place where the default is generally positive and supportive.” While Nathan stated, “It’s the people that make memories last.”
Nathan will be attending graduate school and the University of Iowa for a Masters Degree and felt like this was, “a good time to take a break, refine my craft, and get better at what I do.” On top of all of that, Nathan and his wife are expecting a baby this fall and moving to Iowa will get them closer to family, parents, and extended family.
Craig, his wife, and two children, have one main reason for moving to Kidron, Ohio, and that reason is the kids. They want to kids to be closer to grandparents and other family. Craig stated, “Here’s the thing, once you have kids, you will understand that family is not a replaceable thing. We have a lot of great friends out here but they can’t replace family.”
Nathan is looking forward to being back in school and his studies, as well as, being nervous and excited about being a dad. For him, it is also difficult but exciting to see the new things that will be brought about with this move. Nathan admitted that right now he is, “a big bag of nervous and joy and fear energies.” The transition to Iowa may be difficult but as of right now they are looking forward to it.
Craig is also looking forward to the move, he can’t wait to be a stay at home dad for a time, as well as being able to attend the Kidron Auction and be a volunteer at the Wilderness Center. He is also excited about raising chickens, goats, growing vegetables and playing banjo.
Nathan and his wife have slowly started getting ready to move. They have just started looking at houses as well as Nathan figuring out details with his professor. He and his wife have started taking baby classes and getting ready to be parents with a due date, August 13th, quickly approaching.
Craig moved his family out to Ohio this last weekend, Memorial Weekend, and came back for the final week of school. They had been slowly packing and any extra time in the evenings and over the weekends, had been used to pack. They don’t have a house yet and will be house sitting until they can find one. They had also gotten ready for the move by having get-togethers with friends and changing their address so that their mail is sent to the right place. Craig’s whole thinking on this is, “Once you move, you can’t not move again. Who knows, it may not work out and we may end up moving back. None of this has to be final.”
~Carissa