Trent Duskie, a fourth grade teacher at Rock Hills Elementary School, has lived in Jewell County all of his life. He currently lives by Ionia. Duskie started school in Jewell and finished at Rock Hills in 2013. He started his college education at Emporia State University and half-way through, transferred to Fort Hays State University where he received a bachelor's of science degree in elementary education. While attending college, Duskie was a full-time student, a full-time subsitute and worked on the family farm. He was hired to teach right after college when he was 22 years old.

Duskie's hobbies include helping on the family farm, hunting, checking cows and riding his horses, named Trigger and Stormy. He chose to live in Jewell County because he wanted the slower pace and he wanted to stay on the family farm. He enjoys the small town atmosphere Jewell County offers and also likes that everyone knows everyone else.

He said seeing students grow and excel are his favorite part of teaching. The hardest part for him is not always knowing the exact answer or not having everything right on hand. Duskie is responsible for "teaching everything the state of Kansas thinks a fourth grader should know."

Duskie teaches Rock Hills fourth grade

"Kids have an amazing work ethic and are willing to try anything we put in front of them," Duskie said in answer to what inspires him. "They aren't afraid of failure at this age." He aspires to have a positive impact on every child he teaches. He became a teacher because he likes working with the children and seeing how much they grow in a year. "Small accomplishments need to be celebrated with them," he said.

Duskie shared the following advice for future teachers: "Come in with an open mind. Be willing to put in more work, a lot of effort and start each day with a new leaf. Never let one bad day get caught up in tomorrow, and second chances are always good."