Graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1953 Attended Bethel University from 1953-1955 Transferred to the University of Minnesota in 1955 and graduated in 1957 Received a master's degree from Western Michigan University in 1960 Earned a doctorate in education from the University of Illinois in 1967 Currently reading "Greece and Rome: Builders of Our World" in preparation for his vacation in the Mediterranean for his 50th wedding anniversary Draayer says he favored teaching fifth and sixth graders because:
"They were able to think and work without their hormones getting in the way."
To buy the book
The "Minnetonka School District Story" is available for purchase at Excelsior Bay Books, 36 Water St., Excelsior. All of Draayer's books are available on his Web site, www.dondraayer.com or by e-mailing dondraayer@comcast.net.
Don Draayer seems like your average 70-something year old Minnetonka resident. He is retired, has a lake house in northern Minnesota and has five grandchildren.
He also has self-published several books and was the Minnetonka School District's superintendent for an unusually long time: 24 years.
"[Minnetonka] is a very special place," Draayer said.
Growing up in southern Minnesota, Draayer was taught at an early age that he should use the gifts God gave him.
In Draayer's case, people skills and a ninth grade English teacher inspired his long career in education.
"I like people. I've always enjoyed people. My parents made note of that," he said.
His English teacher made student comfort a top priority before teaching her lessons, Draayer said. The first part of class was dedicated to getting to know the other students.
"I never really knew it was an English class," Draayer said. "When we got a new student, the English stopped but we made the student feel comfortable."
After graduating from Albert Lea High School in 1953, Draayer continued his education at Bethel University for two years before transferring to the University of Minnesota to finish his degree.
He earned his master's degree from Western Michigan University and a doctorate in education from the University of Illinois, Draayer said.
The job of superintendent of the Minnetonka School District dropped into Draayer's lap by dumb luck, he said.
After several years teaching throughout the country as well as Japan, he attended a conference in Florida and just so happened to sit next to the Minnetonka School District superintendent Theodore Foot, who, after a week at the conference, invited Draayer to interview for the assistant superintendent position.
Draayer got the job.
"I couldn't think of any other place I'd rather live or work that would be better for my family or my career," he said.
When Foot resigned in the middle of the 1972-73 school year, Draayer was offered the position, which he gladly accepted.
The greatest challenge of becoming superintendent at that time was trying to get the money to cover the cost of building up the district the previous 20 years, Draayer said.
"I was in this period when the cost of education was high," he said. "Our teachers were at the top of the salary schedule and the state was giving money at the average cost per teacher."
To close the gap, the district had to ask for tax increases from the public, Draayer said.
"Those referendums were very, very challenging," he said. "How do you connect the good stuff in the school with what's in the community?"
Since resigning from his position in 1995, Draayer has self-published several books.
Two books, "A Journey of Thanksgiving: Lifetime Memories of Learning, Loving, Leading and Looking Back" and "Minnetonka School District Story, 1971-95: Memoirs of Superintendent Dr. Don Draayer," were written concurrently and came out recently, Draayer said.
Draayer was inspired to write the autobiography by his daughter and friends, and organized the book by the values he has learned and how they were applied in his life.
He has given copies to each of his children, as well as set some aside for each grandchild, Draayer said.
While writing his autobiography, Draayer realized the section about the Minnetonka School District was too long, so he decided to write a book about it, he said.
He wrote about Minnetonka because "there's a high expectation for the schools," Draayer said. "You've got the mix for a powerful place for learning,"
His autobiography took about four years to write, while the "Minnetonka School District Story" took about six months, Draayer said.
"When you write ... you have to shut out the world. It was always kind of a struggle for me to pull myself away."
Because no decision as a superintendent ever comes without controversy, Draayer was challenged in finding a way to make background information intriguing, he said.
"How do you make the stories behind the stories interesting?' he said. "I focused on the part that was unseen but used stories about teachers and kids to entice."
Draayer hopes that area residents will be curious about Minnetonka's past and want to read his memoir, he said.
"People who live in an area and invest their money, their resources, their time ... are always a bit curious about the people who helped them have a good life," he said.
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Posted: Sunday, March 14, 2010
Article comment by:
Dorothy Kleinbeck
