KING — Mickey Fulp, a 2015 South Stokes graduate, has continued his normal daily routine since the stay-at-home order on March 27 due to the COVID-19 virus.

Fulp has been wrestling professional since 2016 with several different independent wrestling companies including Allied Independent Wrestling Federation (AIWF), Real Shoot Wrestling, Firestar Pro Wrestling, and Premier Wrestling Federation (PWF). He was able to complete his last scheduled event on March 7, but April sites have been canceled with hope of returning to the ring by the first weekend of May.

“Wrestling is my only source of income and I’m not making that right now,” Fulp said. “I’m just doing some basic exercises at the house to stay in shape. Hopefully I’ll be back in the ring in May, but realistically I don’t see all of this blowing over until at least June.”

WALNUT COVE — Matthew Owens graduated in 2016 with an associate degree in from Stokes Early College and then promptly snagged a job with Learfield/IMG College as a broadcaster monitor and producer for Southern Mississippi football and basketball, with hopes to one day become a studio host for Southern Mississippi or another school.

“I am having a blast,” said Owens. “I never really knew a person could love a job as much as I do with my current job at Learfield/IMG College. Certainly, it’s tough times right now with what’s going on in the world and how it has affected sports. There’s not much to do right now, but eventually sports will be back and I will too.”

Owens has always known that he wanted to get into broadcasting from an early age. As a toddler he would sit in the floor with toy cars and announce a race since he was three or four years old according to Owens.

Thinking about my history in massage therapy education immediately brings to mind two teachers who worked at a school with me, and how vastly different they were. In short, one was probably the best teacher I have seen before or since, and the other was quite possibly the worst. Having little access to feedback and essentially no credentials in education, I asked myself how I could be more like the great teacher, and less like the poor one. And unfortunately, other than intuition, I did not have an answer, because my school (like practically every other massage school in the country) had no requirements for teachers – not even being a licensed or certified Massage Therapist.

I relied upon student evaluations, peer discussions, and the few teacher training courses I could find that would also offer CE credits, as well as feedback and impetus for upgrading my class material or teaching style.

My father was a University professor emeritus at VA Tech and freely offered advice about teaching, but it did not always seem to apply to the unique world of bodywork education (suffice it to say, he had no experience with students regularly disrobing in his classroom). Other than pursuing a degree in Education (which has appealed to me for years but requires both financial and time commitments still beyond the scope of what I can offer), what resources do I have to ensure my success as an educator?