Kristopher A. Bloos was excited about his new shiny promotion. He was thrilled, but a bit hesitant. Bloos was advised by management that if he planned to advance within the company he would have to re-enroll in college. Bloos had previously dropped out of community college.
“It was just impossible for me to put gas in my car and go to school at the same time,” Bloos said.
Bloos did not have a traditional path to becoming a teacher. His story is one of persistence, perseverance and patience. He never took more than two to three classes a semester.
“It took me a long time, because I couldn’t take as many classes as a wanted to,” Bloos said.“It was a long steady process for Dad.I remember sitting on the couch many nights while Dad would be working on his school work,” his son, Casey Bloos said.
After five years working at New York Blower Company, the Bloos family welcomed their son Casey to the world. An impending divorce however made his situation rather difficult. After the divorce was final, Bloos was fully responsible for his five-year-old son.
“I was making good grades. That was the only positive thing that was happening in my life at the time,” Bloos said somberly.
Bloos was a full-time student, a full-time employee and now a full-time father. He was enrolled at Purdue University North Central, where he immersed himself in his studies. Initially, Bloos used his studies as a distraction, but he began to excel.
Even through the divorce, Bloos persevered. He, steadily climbed the ladder at New York Blower Company, going from inventory clerk to engineering order processor, to logistics management coordinator and finally to master scheduler.When the academic dust finally settled, Bloos walked away with an MBA in management, a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology, and a certificate in quality assurance. He also has an associate degree in mechanical engineering technology, industrial engineering technology and organized leadership.
“After a while you start taking all these classes and certain ones apply to this degree, and others to that degree, or that certificate. Since there were not that many more classes to take. I just took them all,” Bloos jokingly said.
Bloos turned in his retirement papers thirty years to the day. “I had to be fully vested, to ensure that I will have health coverage for the rest of my life,” Bloos said. Bloss has since been happily re-married.
Unfortunately, the declining health of his father in law, brought Bloos to Louisville and ultimately to Indiana University Southeast.
“I never really thought about being a teacher until we moved to Louisville,” Bloos said. Bloos and his wife cared for their father until his death in 2011. Bloos works extremely hard at keeping his class fresh. He engages students by incorporating YouTube, TED.Com and CNBC.
“I go out and I look for things that I can incorporate in my classes,” Bloos said. “I watch CNBC and search the internet every day, to keep my subject matter and content fresh and current.” Bloos said. David Rainbolt, who is a Technology Coordinator for the Institute for Learning and Teaching Excellence (ILTE) at Indiana University Southeast, and a friend and colleague of Bloos said.
“I know that he attends teaching seminars through (ILTE), and every year in Indianapolis he attends seminars,” Casey Bloos said. He also continues to improve and evolve as a teacher, while continuing to learn how to reach his students.
“He truly cares about his students and holds them accountable, because he expects them to be exceptional,” Casey Bloos said.
