West Washington would like to feature our Elementary ED instructor, Paul Batz. This is Paul’s first year as a Senator and we are very fortunate to have him as a part of our team.
Attraction to Teaching: Mr. Batz’ love for teaching stems from motivating kids to become the best versions of themselves. “I love the creativity and problem solving aspects of education the most,” explained Mr. Batz.
Family Man: Mr. Batz is no stranger to shaping young minds. He and his wife, Anna, have raised a total of 10 children in their home, which sits on 90 acres in Lawrence County. “We live a stone’s throw from CRANE on the edge of Lawrence County’s western border. We have a 15 acre field and the rest is woods. We have lived there for 25 years now. We are so ‘countrified’ that when we drive through town, our kids still marvel in disbelief at how close people manage to live next to each other,” shared Mr. Batz.
Background: Mr. Batz began his career as an E.D. Instructor at Shawswick Middle School because it was the only available job at a time when there were 4 or 5 candidates for each opening. "I turned out to be quite good at the clinical aspect of it and found a niche as a ‘horse whisperer’ for autistic kiddos," he explained. Later, he transitioned to general education and continued in that role until his school was eliminated during a major consolidation campaign. He was then reassigned to become a grades 4-6 Resource teacher for NLCS. He performed similar duties for Orleans from 2021 until May.
Interest and Facts: Mr. Batz’ talents and interests include his love for art, making maple syrup, and writing. “I am taken with visual patterns and have been a Ukrainian style egg artist since 1994. My work represented Indiana at the O’Bannon and Daniels State Houses and at the White House during both the Clinton and George W. Bush eras. I was once on the TV show, “Across Indiana.” I plan on getting back into that stuff a lot more when I retire in a few years. My family makes maple syrup most years, and one year we made 32 gallons of finished product, all pioneer style! I love writing and words in general,” replied Mr. Batz. 
Welcome to Senator Nation, Mr. Paul Batz!