2008 Woodie Awards
Teacher Feature
Don Abel goes from forest ranger to instructor
Brandon Glenn
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
Seventeen years and still going. No, it isn't that commercial bunny. It's speech and radio-TV production teacher Donald Abel at Amarillo College.
Abel taught part-time at AC and West Texas A&M University while earning his master's degree in radio-TV-film. Before teaching, he established himself in the business of audio and video production, working for companies such as Northern Telecom in Nashville, Tenn., which had clients that included Ford Motor Co.
Abel also was a freelancer, working for several companies, including Opryland Productions and Access Hollywood.
"I wanted to be a forest ranger," he said. Abel started his college career by attending Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, a school that was ranked in the top five in the nation for forestry.
"As a first-year freshman I signed up for basic classes, and I took one forestry class because I wanted to get started on it," he said. " That one class ate my lunch."
Abel ended up dropping the forestry class, and it was not for five more semesters that he had to decide on a major. He chose radio-TV-film.
"Not until I was close to graduating did I decide that I might want to teach," he said.
"Since I wanted to teach, the state of Texas did not recognize radio-TV as an academic class, so I had to choose another field to major in also, and that was speech."
Abel explained the benefits of teaching and how the sky is the limit as far in education.
Although AC provides guidelines, he gets to teach how he wants and what he wants to teach.
"I really love teaching; I enjoy teaching," he said. "The biggest reward is the students."
Abel went over the challenges of teaching students who are at different talent levels and how to help them all.
He said that is the true reward of his profession.
TV lab instructor and KACV production coordinator Buddy Squyres said, "He is easy going and very attentive to the students."
Squyres said Abel keeps up with technology well. Both he and Abel have advanced from the analog days to digital audio and video.
"Don Abel is one of the best teachers I've had at AC," said RJ Cantor, a business major.
"I really like how he gives a lot of individual attention to his students.
"He's just an all-round nice and helpful guy."
Abel taught part-time at AC and West Texas A&M University while earning his master's degree in radio-TV-film. Before teaching, he established himself in the business of audio and video production, working for companies such as Northern Telecom in Nashville, Tenn., which had clients that included Ford Motor Co.
Abel also was a freelancer, working for several companies, including Opryland Productions and Access Hollywood.
"I wanted to be a forest ranger," he said. Abel started his college career by attending Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, a school that was ranked in the top five in the nation for forestry.
"As a first-year freshman I signed up for basic classes, and I took one forestry class because I wanted to get started on it," he said. " That one class ate my lunch."
Abel ended up dropping the forestry class, and it was not for five more semesters that he had to decide on a major. He chose radio-TV-film.
"Not until I was close to graduating did I decide that I might want to teach," he said.
"Since I wanted to teach, the state of Texas did not recognize radio-TV as an academic class, so I had to choose another field to major in also, and that was speech."
Abel explained the benefits of teaching and how the sky is the limit as far in education.
Although AC provides guidelines, he gets to teach how he wants and what he wants to teach.
"I really love teaching; I enjoy teaching," he said. "The biggest reward is the students."
Abel went over the challenges of teaching students who are at different talent levels and how to help them all.
He said that is the true reward of his profession.
TV lab instructor and KACV production coordinator Buddy Squyres said, "He is easy going and very attentive to the students."
Squyres said Abel keeps up with technology well. Both he and Abel have advanced from the analog days to digital audio and video.
"Don Abel is one of the best teachers I've had at AC," said RJ Cantor, a business major.
"I really like how he gives a lot of individual attention to his students.
"He's just an all-round nice and helpful guy."
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