An Interview with Mr. Rehn

Mr. Dale Rehn is well-known at NSA as an incredible art teacher and mentor, and students have very kind things to say about him. But did you know that Mr. Rehn has been teaching for over 25 years? I was very surprised to find this out and wanted to know more. I conducted an interview with him and found out some more interesting information! 

Mr. Rehn has actually always known he wanted to be a teacher. Both of his parents were teachers and growing up he felt it came natural to him. He went to college to become a teacher and is now (as we know) a very talented art teacher! 

One of Mr. Rehn’s favorite things about being an art teacher is what he likes to call the “Eureka Moment.” This is when a student finally grasps a concept and realizes they’ve created something beautiful that’s beyond what they thought they could do. Mr. Rehn finds teaching very fulfilling and rewarding. It is for those reasons that he has been teaching as long as he has. 

Now, there will always be ongoing struggles as a teacher such as the occasional students that make teaching challenging. But for Mr. Rehn, it’s no problem and he will work with the students to help and encourage them to be the best artists they can be. When I asked him if there have been any moments in his teaching career that have made him regret becoming a teacher, he expressed that there will always be challenges, but it doesn’t mean you should stop trying or give up. 

I asked Mr. Rehn what his favorite project is to give to his students, to which he responded, “Surrealism!” He said he enjoys giving this project to his students to see them think outside the box and express their creativity. He always enjoys seeing what they come up with and how each of them interprets it differently. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this interview and loved getting to know Mr. Rehn! He’s such a complex and knowledgeable person and I’m so thankful that he let me conduct this interview! 

Fun fact about Mr. Rehn: When he was younger, he wanted to be an astronaut, but he was too tall!