Like most young adults, Ronald Endris, adjunct professor of geology, went to college right out of high school. He said he did not feel as though college was for him, so he decided to quit attending.

However, it did not take long for Endris to realize he had made a mistake. He realized he wanted to go back to school. Endris said quitting college and then re-attending was the biggest turning point in his life.

“At the time, I had a wife and two kids,” Endris said. “I saved money to go to school while working for a paint company.”

Endris worked with the paint company for five years as a lab assistant.

“I was the hands for the chemist,” Endris said. “I did the work that he told me to do.”

When Endris attended college for the second time, his major was chemistry. He then decided to change his major to education. Endris needed five more hours to graduate, and his adviser suggested he fill in those hours with geology classes.

“I fell in love with geology,” Endris said. “The classes lead me to teaching.”

Endris said he only teaches one class at IU Southeast, and he is able to teach a subject that he really enjoys.

“When I retired, I didn’t do anything for six months,” Endris said. “I was bored out of my head.”

Endris said the position at IU Southeast opened up at the perfect time for him. The position became available because the program was expanding.

“I have learned a lot teaching,” Endris said. “I get aggravated when students say that this class isn’t their major and that they don’t have to do good.”

Endris said General Geology is a five-credit-hour class, and he thinks that five hours is a lot for a student’s grade point average.

Endris said his greatest accomplishment was when he climbed Mt. St. Helens. Endris climbed the volcano shortly after it erupted.

Endris was part of the first civilian group to climb the mountain after it erupted.

“The climb was strenuous,” Endris said.

He was able to climb the mountain through a government-funded workshop.

Participants had to first apply to join the workshop, and they were then chosen to be in the group through specific selection.

The participants in the workshop had their school paid for, along with their attendance of the workshop.

Endris attended another workshop through Harvard University. He went there to help set up a curriculum for Earth Science.

“I worked on a special aspect of Earth Science for the curriculum,” Endris said. “At the end of the workshop, everybody had to present what they had come up with, and then we all got everybody’s lesson plan.”

Endris has taught in the New Albany Floyd County Schools for 32 years. He was teaching Earth Science at Floyd Central for 23 years and at Hazelwood Middle School for nine years. Endris has also taught for a Planetarium for 15-20 years.

Endris was also involved with Project PEEP. Project PEEP is an earthquake program Indiana University runs. A physics teacher and Endris were able to have an active seismogram put in Floyd Central High School.

Among Endris’s bucket list is to visit Glacier National Park. He wants to study the glaciers there with his wife.

“I hope to go within the next five years,” Endris said.

Endris and his wife go on many trips together. They have been to the Grand Canyon, Yellow Stone National Park, Alaska and Hawaii.

“My favorite place to visit is the Grand Canyon,” Endris said. “I have done a lot of traveling, but I haven’t been able to do any traveling in a few years.”

Endris said he has the best of both worlds because he has taught high school and college. He said he is able to teach but it does not take up all of his time.

He also meets with retired teachers three to four times a week at McDonald’s to drink coffee and discuss sports and politics.

By TIFFANY ADAMS

Staff

adamstif@ius.edu