After 33 years, Bingea bows out

Posted on: Jun 7, 2019

When John Bingea graduated from the University of Minnesota and began hunting for a teaching job in the mid-1980s, the Wisconsin native had never heard of Delano.

Thirty-three years later, it’s difficult to imagine Delano without him.

“It just seemed like a natural fit,” Bingea said, explaining why he and his wife ultimately decided to stay in Delano rather than moving back to Wisconsin or exploring another school district. “We just loved the community. The parents, for the most part, have been really great, and the administration and the teachers have been just super. It’s been easy to stay in this job because of the people I work with. They are my best friends and I can’t say enough about what they have meant to me.”

Two grades, four buildings
Bingea covered a lot of ground during his three-plus decades in Delano. He began teaching fourth grade in what is now the Community Education building in 1986, and when Delano Elementary School opened in January of 1992 he moved to the new space. 

After 15 years with fourth-graders he moved down the hill to teach fifth grade at Delano Middle School – just before it received a new addition. Finally, though he could have retired after last year and avoided another move up to the new intermediate school, he decided to stay on and ride out one more transition.

“I thought it was kind of exciting to start another new building up here,” he said. “I always love change. That’s one of the best parts about this job. Every year you have new kids, new curriculum, new ideas. I just thrive on change, so the chance to come up here was just awesome. Plus, every time I moved I got to clear my room out.” 

Though both of Bingea’s parents had been teachers, he explored a variety of different options in college before deciding that teaching was ultimately the best option for his own career.

“Finally I said, ‘You know what? Teaching is the one area where I can use all the passions that I have,’” said Bingea. “I like writing, music, and I like to dabble in art. I’m a jack of all trades, master of none. Elementary education fits that so well.”

Stimulating change
After all his years in the classroom, Bingea said he still felt energized by the challenges and opportunities of each new day.

“Education is constantly changing, philosophically and in other ways,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed always trying to get better and ‘do it right’ each year. That constant change was always very motivating.”

DIS Principal Barry Voight said that commitment to honing his craft was a primary characteristic of Bingea as a teacher.

“John is the kind of teacher who is dedicated way beyond the ‘normal duties’ of his position,” Voight said. “While I didn’t know John at the beginning of his career, I have to believe he was better as a teacher every year – more effective and dedicated in his 33rd year (than) he was in his first, 15th, or 30th.”

Highlights
One of Bingea’s favorite projects with students was writing letters to veterans each year. Some veterans would write back, saying it was the first time someone had ever thanked them for their service.

“It was pretty poignant when you started reading those letters back,” said Bingea. “Of course they didn’t have to write back, but we’d get quite a few letters. The kids and the parents were really into it because it was real. Whenever I could make learning real, to me that was the best learning.”

That focus was also evident in the traditional fifth-grade simulation projects like Discovery, where students came to North America and built colonies, and the Homesteading unit.

“Those were about real learning too,” said Bingea. “They made decisions as if they were living during that time.”

 The annual trip to the Long Lake Conservation Center was another ongoing highlight of Bingea’s teaching career. 

Writing was Bingea’s biggest passion, and he had his students pursue practical avenues like personal narratives, thank-you letters, and letters identifying problems and suggesting solutions. Students also studied and created their own poetry, and music was another effective tool for learning. Bingea has performed at apple orchards, churches and business around the area as part of folk duo “The Prairie Boys,” and his guitar was a regular tool in the classroom.

“I used singing a lot,” he said. “Math, social studies, reading – whenever I could make a connection to a song, I did. We’d memorize facts and multiples with songs. It was just a natural thing for me to do.”

‘A true professional’
Over the years Bingea said testing and teacher specialization have become more prominent, but he always appreciated the opportunity to teach multiple subjects and build relationships with his students.

“I called John Bingea my ‘moral compass,’” said fellow fifth-grade teacher Karen Shallbetter. “John always thinks of others first, and he is especially sensitive to the needs of the students. He was an amazing teacher, colleague and friend, and we will miss him terribly.”

DIS physical education teacher Seth Potter called Bingea “classy, a true professional, as good of a person as anyone can get.” 

“Hopefully John is going to sub a lot because if he doesn’t, we’ll be having Bingea withdrawals by the middle of September,” Potter said.

In retirement, Bingea plans to spend more time with his family, including twin infant granddaughters and his aging father. He’ll have more time for his musical pursuits, and would like to audit classes at the University of Minnesota to continue his own learning. He and his wife recently moved to Golden Valley to be closer to family and her work, and Bingea aims to continue pursuing meaningful occupations.

“I’m going to volunteer someplace. I’m not sure where yet,” he said. “My summer job is to research what I can do.”

In acknowledging Bingea’s service to the school board last month, Voight said his departure would be a significant loss.

“We wish him the very best and could not be happier to have served with him,” Voight said.

Post Categories: Intermediate School