Dakota Wesleyan wrestler Tyson Johnson ready to tackle teaching in the classroom

It was a lot of work, but it was fulfilling. He responded well to the small class sizes at Dakota Wesleyan, noting they weren't that much bigger than his classes in high school in Pierre. That allowed him to capture one-on-one time with his instructors while also being able to concentrate on his technique with his coaches on the wrestling mat.

His interest in education became even stronger during his sophomore year, when he began working with Mindy Childs, an education professor at the school. It was then that his future in education began to come into deeper focus.

"She is very structured and has everything set forward, so ...you know exactly what you're getting every single day," Johnson said. "I probably wasn't the best student before that. But then I kind of had to lock in a little bit and really grew as a student."

It was around this time that he took Child's foundations of special education class, and something clicked. He had a close friend growing up that had suffered a traumatic brain injury in his youth, and he had been friendly with another student with special needs at his high school. He said he previously hadn't thought much about the kind of work that goes on in a special education classroom, but he was starting to see.

The class made him realize that special education could be a way to make the same impact on others that his teachers and coaches had been for him.

"I've got a lot of experience with this. Maybe this is for me," Johnson said.

He decided it was. He switched his major specifically to special education during his sophomore year. It was a bit of a late change — it would require him to take a fifth year — but the inspiration had struck. He ended up redshirting in wrestling during what would have been his senior year, allowing him to wrestle for a fifth year while pursuing his degree.

It all worked out in the end. After five years of academic studies and athletic practices, he is ready to complete graduation and head out for his first full-time professional teaching job.

He did his student teaching in the Mitchell School District, making stops at Mitchell High School, Mitchell Middle School and Longfellow Elementary. He also served on the district's substitute list as part of his studies. All of it contributed to his readiness to take up a position at the front of the classroom.

As graduation approached, he secured a teaching position in Miller and was ready to take his talents to that district. But again, a chance conversation with some of his former high school coaches alerted him to a position opening up in the Pierre district.

With family and old friends already there, and with his girlfriend, a Mitchell Technical College student who is set to work in Pierre as well, the chance to work in his old hometown seemed too good to pass up. There was even the possibility of joining the wrestling coaching staff in some capacity.

"Pierre is kind of a town that you don't really ever leave. Most graduates come back. It feels like home," Johnson said.

As Johnson gets ready to return to Pierre following Sunday's graduation, he has thought back on the lessons learned in Mitchell, particularly at Dakota Wesleyan. He looks back fondly at his time wrestling as a Tiger, and said his focus and dedication to the sport has revealed truths he never fully expected.

He learned to not become too involved in winning or losing during competitions. Self-improvement, discipline and performing the best you can under challenging circumstances are just as important as having your hand raised at the end of a match, he said.

His coaches brought him around to that way of thinking, he said.

"Definitely a very important lesson that I've taken is just kind of helping change the mindset that wrestling is this scary thing. It's a lot of pressure. But there's more to life than (just winning or losing in) wrestling. I didn't do it the best. (I've been) wrestling for 20-something years of my life, and it's kind of just always been that way. It's kind of a new thing that wrestling can be fun," Johnson said. "So (I would like) to be able to enact that in a youth program, a middle school program, and hopefully eventually the high school. I think it's probably one of the best lessons you could learn as a wrestler."

And he doesn't mince words when talking about the positive experience and thoughtful guidance he has received on the academic side. He feels Dakota Wesleyan wasn't just the best choice for him, it was the only choice.

"I couldn't say enough good things about it. They know you as a person, not just as a number or whatever else you want to call it. If I would have gone somewhere else, I probably would have honestly dropped out," Johnson said.

He's taking the supportive nature and the in-depth lessons of his coaches and professors at Dakota Wesleyan, pocketing them and preparing to draw on them in his new role as a special education teacher in Pierre. It's a nervous but exciting time for Johnson, but he's looking forward to sharing the lessons he's learned and passing them on to the next generation.

"In the grand scheme of things, school isn't to teach you how much you know about science or how much you know about math. It's to teach you to think critically. It's about seeing a problem in front of you and trying to figure out how to solve that problem," Johnson said. "You're going to see a lot of that in life."

Dakota Wesleyan University's graduation ceremony will take place Sunday, May 10 at the Corn Palace. The event is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. The event will also be livestreamed by DWU at

www.dwu.edu/live.