Spotlight
Eddie Crain, Director of the Northeast Arkansas Career & Technical Center, says taking the plunge into education might be the most daring thing he’s done!
Eddie Crain, Director of the Northeast Arkansas Career & Technical Center (NEACTC) in Jonesboro, says his favorite thing about his job is feeling like he has some impact on the lives of our future leaders. “[It] inspires me. And it helps to keep one young-spirited being around youngsters much of the time.” Eddie came to the field of education after spending many years working in radio, and later manufacturing. He states, “I can honestly say that if you asked me when I was in high school, ‘Eddie, what are the LAST things you see yourself becoming?’ My two answers would have been a wrestler and an educator.” Growing up on a small cotton farm his dad owned and operated in Trumann, he aspired to become a broadcaster in radio or a photographer - “much to the chagrin of my father. Dear old dad, a survivor of the Great Depression and World War II veteran, encouraged me to become a dentist or an optometrist.” Eddie graduated from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro with a degree in Communications/Radio-Television. While attending Arkansas State, he landed his first radio job as a student-staff announcer at KASU. “Next it was off to radio stations KFIN, KPCA and KDEZ. I served as Operations Manager and later as a General Manager of KXRQ radio in two separate stints and did a few voice-over commercials for KZOT and briefly for a Jonesboro low power TV station K45AY.” After his radio days ended, Eddie spent 18 years working in manufacturing, 6 years as a sales engineer and the remaining 12 years as marketing manager. Eddie says it wasn’t until “that mid-life bell began to toll” that his gaze shifted toward a career in education. “I was led into education by a highly successful wife, who was a model educator. She loved the profession dearly. She cared for her students.” Both of his sisters were educators as well, and the message he kept receiving was “We sure could use more male role models in education.” Eddie enrolled in the Arkansas Non-Traditional Licensure program in 2004. “I had a special mentor in the late Jim Parrish, CRESC Director, who always made time for a cup of coffee and a pastry when we visited at the co-op in Harrisburg.” Eddie began his educational career teaching at Trumann in the Fall of 2004. He says, “The first year was a dandy as I had no classroom.” Hired as a floating teacher, he taught one 7th grade section each in science and social studies and one 8th grade section of science and social studies, along with a section of ISS duty and senior parking lot duty. “I had to be really ‘popular’ with the teachers as I taught those sections in their classrooms while they were on their prep period. What a way to break in a newcomer!” He taught at Trumann for eight years, and for two of those years served as the director of the 21CCLC program while also teaching six periods a day. In the fall of 2011, he and his family relocated to Jonesboro, and he is now celebrating his tenth year employed at Jonesboro Public Schools. He says, “I have taught mid-level literacy at SUCCESS (the Craighead County ALE) and taught CBA at Annie Camp Junior High. I spent one year as an elementary assistant principal at International Studies before landing on my present perch as NEACTC Director in the Fall of 2014.” Eddie says he’s become passionate about promoting career and technical skills attainment to students across NEA. One major change he’s seen over the course of his career, is that manufacturers are more actively involved in education. “Manufacturers realize they must recruit to fill positions and support efforts by career centers to train students with the skills they need for high-demand positions that are
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