After hearing rumors at the end of last year that the King of Pot Roast was leaving the school, I, like many other students, was extremely confused when I saw social studies teacher Daniel Ferrel walking through the hallways on the first day of this school year. This is Ferrel’s second year at Kaneland, but despite being new, he has fostered many strong relationships with his students and the school as a whole.
When Ferrel started at Kaneland last year, he was pleasantly surprised with the student community.
“I noticed that the kids were very invested, they were very polite and they were very respectful,” Ferrel said. He used that respect to form positive relationships with his students. “I really did not have very many negative experiences with students throughout the year.”
His favorite part of teaching is working with his students.
“I think I have great students,” Ferrel said. “I have great relationships with my students. We have a lot of fun in class, and I do genuinely enjoy coming in and having the opportunity to work with them every day.”
As a first-year teacher, he was reassigned to Harter Middle School at the end of last school year as part of a reduction in force at the high school. Many students were sad to hear he would be leaving.
Before this school year, though, staffing changes in the social studies department led to Ferrel’s opportunity to return.
“I know that I, and others, were really upset when we heard he wasn’t coming back,” senior Emma Pernice said. “And then when I found out he was coming back, I was really excited and stopped by during [my] schedule walk to wish him good luck for this year.”
Between talking about meeting his wife at a taco shop and bonding over broken kitchen appliances, Ferrel enjoys sharing parts of his life with his students.
“Mr. Ferrel’s class is very welcoming,” Pernice said. “He makes sure to say ‘Hey!’ to anyone that comes in and asks how their day is going. I looked forward to going to his class every day, and that is something that I hope every student gets to experience at least once.”
Ferrel prides himself on making an impact on his students. He wants to prepare them for the world after his classes.
“I make them not only enjoy the content but also give them the skills necessary to be successful in whatever they go on and do with the rest of their lives,” Ferrel said. The majority of his students are upperclassmen, so he likes to learn about their post-graduation plans.
“For most people that’s college, and that’s great,” Ferrel said. “For other people that’s going to trade school or that’s going into the military, and being supportive and understanding of that [is important].”
His own experience with different careers, like coaching lacrosse and serving in the Navy, makes him a great listener and adviser for students who aren’t sure of their futures.
Despite being new to the school, he has become one of the most beloved teachers. During our interview, he was asked to coach the seniors’ powderpuff team with fellow social studies teacher Steve Auchstetter. In the chaotic hallways of Kaneland, his classroom is always full of former students coming to talk to their favorite teacher.
“Now, during my senior year, I continue to stop by his room with friends to say hello and write silly messages on his board,” senior Cassie Cramer said.
Ferrel ensures that each student is set up to succeed in his class. He took advantage of class discussions to make his teaching style work for everyone, and his open communication created a successful learning environment.
“My friends and I appreciated how, despite student participation struggles, he continued to work with us so we could all do our best,” Cramer said.
He makes his teaching engaging with play-based learning.
“I spend a lot of my effort making things interesting for the kids and making them want to come to class and enjoy the content that we’re working on,” Ferrel said.
This year, he plans to take advantage of his new classroom by incorporating interactive lessons to help more students understand the content of his class. Ferrel attributes his teaching style to Major Duckett, who was his ethics teacher at his high school, Culver Military Academy.
“Major Duckett was an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam, and he taught me a lot about leadership and the human experience, and he invested a lot of time in making sure that I was prepared for, at the time, what was going to be my career in the military,” Ferrel said.
Like Major Duckett, Ferrel spends a lot of time getting to know his students on a personal level. He likes to know what each student is interested in and involved in.
“I do my best to maintain positive relationships with my students,” Ferrel said. “I treat them with respect, and in return, they give me a lot of respect.”
Even if historical topics seem boring to some students, his teaching captures their attention.
“As most dread having to sit and listen to a teacher talk for long periods of time, his genuine interest in history was often contagious,” Cramer said.
After a long and winding road of Navy service and studying civil engineering, then studying philosophy and political science and coaching lacrosse, Ferrel ended up at our school, and he is a welcome addition to the Kaneland community.
