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Buffalo educator reflects on 30 years of teaching ceramics

"Holtz," as his students call him, has learned quite a few valuable lessons in his years teaching high school students.

BUFFALO, Minn. — You may have heard the saying, "teaching is a work of heart." This couldn't be more true for Buffalo High School's Art Teacher Jon Holtz.

"Holtz," as his students prefer to call him, has been teaching ceramics for 30 years and he doesn't plan to stop anytime soon.

"There are days that make you [grunts] but overall those years have gone so fast," Holtz said. 

Parents and teachers alike know that "the days are long but the years, in fact, are short," which is why Holtz wants to remind everyone this school year to center themselves, live in the moment and get off your cellphones!

"I can't compete with TikTok, I can't compete with Snapchat and I tell them that I am fully aware that I am the dinosaur in the room," said Holtz. "I just need you for 60 minutes… the internet will still be there when we get done."

Holtz says cellphone distractions are a daily battle. 

"I've had kids watching TV shows!"

In his three decades of teaching it's the students and relationships that keep him coming back.

"I have saved every note, every letter because there are days you're going to feel like 'I am the worst teacher in the world' and then you go back to visit that box and you are like, 'All of these people can't be wrong,'" said Holtz.

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