JULY 8, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
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Ochoa taught kids from all over the world
Fred Ochoa tried three
other careers before one stuck.
And now after 28 years as
a teacher, including 21 in the
Salem-Keizer School District,
the last fi ve at Cummings
Elementary, he is retiring.
“I’ve had enough,” Ochoa
said. “Teaching is real tough.”
After college, Ochoa was
fi rst a park ranger in Texas,
where he grew up.
“It really wasn’t Walt
Disney,” Ochoa said. “I was
cleaning
restrooms
and
putting up with patrons and
all that.”
He was then a weapons
systems operator and offi cer
in the Air Force for six years
before becoming a drug store
manager at Walgreens, where
one of the pharmacists’ wife
was a teacher.
“That’s how I fi rst got
the inkling,” said Ochoa,
who liked the idea of having
summers off. “It was a real
selfi sh reason but it turned
out 28 years later, it was much
more than that, and really we
needed the time off, I found
that out.”
Ochoa went to night
school for a year and a half to
earn his teaching certifi cate.
After seven years in Texas, he
moved to Oregon in 1995
to take a position at Myers
Elementary in West Salem.
“We sold everything we
had and burned everything
we couldn’t sell and drove
cross country,” said Ochoa,
who helped start the bilingual
program at Myers.
After 16 years, budget cuts
transferred him to Cummings.
“It punched me in the
gut but I needed a change,”
Ochoa said.
“It’s a different community,
a different scene, a different
staff, different everything. I
got pretty used to it after a
couple months.”
Ochoa taught fi fth grade
English as a second language
students.
“I was brought up in a
Spanish-English home so
that helped me a lot, really
break down barriers so the
kids almost immediately take
to me,” he said. “I just spoke
their language. Their culture
was my culture. It was my
language. Once you wedge
that in there, it’s easy to get
the kids to listen and learn.”
While English and Spanish
are the most common
languages in the Salem-Keizer
School District, students speak
83 different languages. Ochoa
said he even had a student
from Yemen last semester.
“Somebody’s got to deal
with them,” he said. “And
even if you don’t know the
language, at least you’re taught
some techniques to kind of
slowly bring them in. With
the refugee crisis around the
word, they’re showing up.
“They tend to be some of
the best learners, too, because
they have a purpose in life
and so do the parents,” Ochoa
said. “You get some of the best
backup from those families.”
Ochoa has also taught kids
who come from poverty and
dysfunctional families. Of his
28 students, he guessed maybe
10 have two parents.
Ochoa said the positive
feedback is what has kept him
going all of these years.
He plans to wait a year
before making his next move.
“We’re going to sit tight for
one year and let the dust settle
and I’m just going to enjoy
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Fred Ochoa is retiring after 21 years in the Salem-Keizer School District, including the last fi ve at Cummings Elementary. He taught
fi fth grade English as a second language.
getting up at 9 [a.m.] and
having coffee and saying ‘what
do you want to do today?’
We’re looking at Nevada
because being from south
Texas, it took me about 10
years to get used to the gray
out here.”
Ochoa plans to substitute
teach two days a week to
stay in touch with the staff at
Cummings.
Museum hosts kids camp
Deepwood Museum &
Gardens is hosting its second
year of Kids EDventures in
July and August.
Each day of the week is
a different theme, and each
week will offer a new set of
topics focusing on various
areas of history, art, culture, and
science. Space is limited, pre-
registration required. Register
online at deepwoodmuseum.
org. All programs are held
between 10 and 11:30 a.m.
at Deepwood Estate, 1116
Mission Street S.E. in Salem.
Cost is $8 for members and
$10 for non-members per
activity.
Art and culture days are
slated for July 18 and Aug. 8
and 29. Children will explore
other
countries
through
hands-on activities, food, and
music in the historic home
and solarium
Tuesdays (July 19, Aug. 9
and 30) are hands-on history
days. Children learn about
history through pictures,
music and hands-on crafts and
activities.
Nature EdVentures are
Wednesdays (July 20, Aug. 10
and 31) and strive to ignite
curiosity through fun activities.
Marion County Fair July 7-10
The Marion County Fair
returns to Salem this weekend.
The fi ve-day extravaganza at
the state fairgrounds began on
Thursday, July 7, and contin-
ues through Sunday, July 10.
Among livestock shows,
competitions ranging from
cameraphone photography to
adult coloring, and a host of
regional music acts, offerings
this year include Walk on the
Wild Side, allowing visitors to
get up close and personal with
some of the planet’s big cats,
camel rides and the Rough
Stock Rodeo, featuring some
of the best bull riding, barrel
racing, bareback and saddle
bronc riding in the North-
west.
Reckless Kelly is the head-
line act Saturday, July 8. High
Valley is the main act Saturday,
July 9.
For the full line-up
and schedule, visit www.
co.marion.or.us/CS/Fair.
Tickets are $5 for youth
and seniors and $9 for adults.
Parking is free.
On Friday, July 8, visitors
who wear their Awesome
3000 T-shirts will get in free.
On Sunday, anyone younger
than 12 gets in free.
Sam Goesch CLU, Agent
Sam Goesch Ins Agcy Inc
3975 River Road North
Keizer, OR 97303
Web: SamGoesch.com Bus: 503-393-6252
1211999
State Farm , Bloomington, IL
WorshipDirectory
These Salem-Keizer houses of worship invite you to visit.
Call to list your church in our Worship Directory: (503) 390-1051
John Knox Presbyterian Church
JOIN US FOR
SUNDAY WORSHIP
452 Cummings Lane North 393-0404
8:30 am • 10 am • 11:30 am • 6 pm
PEOPLESCHURCH
4500 LANCASTER DR NE | SALEM
503.304.4000 • www.peopleschurch.com
Celebration
Services
Saturday Evening
1755 Lockhaven Dr. NE Keizer
503-390-3900
www.dayspringfellowship.com
Rev. Dr. John Neal, Pastor
Worship - 10:30 a.m.
Education Hour - 9:15 a.m.
Nursery Care Available
www.keizerjkpres.org
Jason Lee UMC
820 Jeff erson St. NE
Salem OR 97301
9:00 am
Dr. Jon F. Langenwalter, Pastor
The church with the purple doors
10:45 am
Worship at 9:30 am • Child Care Available
6:00 pm
Children’s Programs, Student and Adult Ministries
Father Gary L. Zerr, Pastor
Saturday Vigil Liturgy: 5:30 p.m.
Sundays: 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
La Misa en Español: 12:30 p.m.
Sunday Morning
and
503-364-2844
Faith Lutheran Church
4505 River Rd N • 393-4507
Sunday Schedule:
9:00 a.m. Children’s Church
9:15 a.m. Adult Bible Study
9:30 a.m. Children’s Activities
Pastor
Virginia Eggert 10:30 a.m. Worship with Communion