New teachers drive from Kensington

The new 6th grade through 9th grade English teacher at Rock Hills, Kelly Hendryx and her husband, Otis, live in Kensington, Kan. They drive to Mankato to teach. Otis is the 9 through 12 social studies teacher, the junior high and high school football coach, and the junior high girls’ basketball coach.

Kelly and Otis met when they were in high school and became high school sweethearts. They have been married for 22 years and have four children. Two of their children attend K-State, one is a sophomore in Kensington High School, and one is in fourth grade at Rock Hills.

The Hendryxs are both from Alpine, Texas, where they both attended college at Sul Ross State University. Otis has been teaching for 22 years. Before that, he worked as a radio broadcaster for eight years. Kelly has been teaching for three years. She had an in-home daycare before that. Kelly received her master’s degree this May from Ft. Hays State University.

In his free time, Otis enjoys fishing. Kelly’s hobbies include reading, walking, her animal babies and her children. “I love, for the most part, that I feel safe,” Kelly said about her favorite part of living in a small town. “I say for the most part because right after we moved to Kensington, a bank robbery occurred.”

Otis is looking forward to being a part of a community that embraces children’s education. This year, Kelly is looking forward to the relationships she can build with the students, getting them to trust her and making it so she can trust them.

Kelly was inspired to choose teaching as her career because of her great teachers in school. “When I was little, I had my whole bedroom set up as a classroom,” Kelly said. “In my head, those students were in there. I’d grade papers and everything.” Otis was inspired by the coaches and teachers he had.

Kelly advises those who are considering to be teachers that the biggest thing you can give the students is tough love. “You gotta love them, but you also have to be tough,” Kelly said. Otis advises to make sure you really have a true interest in the students.

Otis’ favorite quote is “If you treat a man as he is, he will remain as he is, but if you treat a man as he could be or should be, he will become as he could be or should be.” Kelly’s favorite quote is by Maya Angelou and is “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”