Meet Randal Gritzner | Author & Retired Science/Physics Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Randal Gritzner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Randal, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
I have always been a story teller. That was a big part of my teaching style and a big part of my personality all my life. Many people over the years told me to put some of those stories on paper and sell a book, so I did. I started writing 3 years before I retired from teaching Science/Physics. I had so much fun writing my autobiography that I decided to write some more. As a child I enjoyed reading, so maybe I should write something similar to what I loved back then. I came up with a series called “The Science Sleuths.” My goal is to influence young minds into reading, Science, education, anything more positive than some of the stuff they are doing now. Reading, Science, and education have impacted my life so positively that I wish for every young mind to take that route.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m relatively new as an author, and my experience as an author builds directly from my experience as a teacher. When I was a first-year teacher I asked other Science teachers in my building for advise on how to do various things. The response was less than positive, and other teachers seemed to perceive teaching as a competition between teachers. I didn’t feel comfortable with that perception, so I chose to help young teachers once I had some experience. I did that many times, and it helped me develop into a teacher that concentrated on helping each student make Science a way of life. I’ve seen some of the best teachers in the world, and I’ve seen some of the worst. I chose to make a positive difference in students’ lives as much as possible. I’ve been called a lot of things by students, but boring wasn’t usually one of them. I got burned out on teaching and tried to get out of teaching a couple times, but I always ended up back in teaching. Over the years I became somewhat of a demonstration specialist. A good demo can pull students in with curiosity about the unknown, and then excite them when the unexpected happens. Perhaps my favorite demo involved a homemade Leyden jar (capacitor) and a Van de Graaff generator. The generator generates static electricity and the capacitor collects some. It can be used CAREFULLY to give the students a good jolt. The generator can be used alone for anyone who chooses to try it, because it is a very low-energy demo.  I gave a HEALTH WARNING for anyone trying the combination of the generator and Leyden jar, and I gave it TWICE before each demo.  I had a student anonymously ignore the health warning once, and he ended up in an Emergency Room that evening getting his pulse stabilized. Excitement can be a good teacher. Model rockets were also a lot of fun, and a good teaching experience. A person should only become a teacher if they plan to be a good one!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Two of my sisters and a husband visited us for several days. We know them well, so we showed them things that they would probably be interested in. We took them to a birding center with extensive area to see wildlife of different types. We spent some time at the beach on South Padre Island. One sister is a farm wife from northern Iowa corn farming country, so we stopped along the side of the road for her to take some pictures of a local farmer harvesting cotton with a big machine that drops big round bales out the rear end. We ate at multiple Mexican restaurants, because they aren’t as available in Iowa. The best food was perhaps when my wife cooked at home. She knows how to cook authentic Mexican food. The Iwo Jima monument was one of their favorite sites. We spent considerable time there so they could see everything. The gift shop was also well received.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Without my wife, Elvia, life wouldn’t be nearly as wonderful as it is. She is a strong woman who doesn’t need a man, but tells me all the time that I am the right man for her. We compliment each other. She supports my every move so much that I look for ways to help her. She was a third grade teacher when I first met her, and she helped me sharpen my teaching skills. She’s a little younger than me, but I served in the U.S. Navy before college. She finished her master’s degree after we got married and became a Librarian. I supported her in that and she supported me when I took some summer courses to study Physics. My bachelor degree was in Jr. High Science, but I had found something that I enjoyed more. I tried to get out of teaching a couple times and she supported me in that. Each time I found myself back in teaching and she supported me in that. She is the Love of My Life, and now she is supporting me as I write, publish, and market 9 books.

Website: rgritzner.wixsite.com/randalgritzner

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randalgritzner/