Jason Berghorst

I have a habit of inserting unsolicited local history into conversations with my friends, co-workers and students.  Not helpful, insightful historical facts that people find interesting, but often random tidbits of how things used to be.  It’s perhaps an occupational hazard for a history teacher living in his hometown and working in the school he graduated from. But more than that, it’s human…

A few weeks ago our church hosted a “Christmas in July” Sunday just for fun.  Adrian’s town celebration is known as “Christmas in July.”  Of course, there’s Christmas in July on the Hallmark Channel.  And, not surprisingly, more stores are offering “Christmas in July” sales.  All of this Christmas talk caused me to think of a wish list.  I’ve written about my personal wish list for Luverne in…

“Things happen in threes.” I’ve heard that phrase, or variations of it, numerous times over the years, most often referencing deaths or other bad circumstances and events. I usually dismiss “happens in threes” as simple superstition. If you wait long enough, eventually three people you know are going to die or three unfortunate things will happen to your family. Don’t get me wrong, I’m…

Recently a friend sent me a link to a satire video that had some fun with graduation open houses.  “So spot on,” the friend remarked in the text.  The video highlighted the most universal aspects of the traditional open house: •Hastily cleaned garages with the normal garage items hidden behind a tarp. •Display boards of photos from childhood — extra credit if the yearly school photos are lined up…

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.  That old “rule” seems to be forgotten on social media. It seems like negative, divisive, and/or false information is posted or shared much more than positive or uplifting content.  You know what I mean.  The same few people who constantly produce posts that are either bashing one political party, sharing false information or…

Another birthday came and went for me this week. While it wasn’t a “significant” birthday, it provided me with a reminder that I am, indeed, getting older. I’ve long passed birthdays that allowed me to drive, vote, or drink legally. I’ve even been eligible to run for president for a few years now. While the number might not matter as much these days, I’m definitely noticing the years passing by.…

What’s your favorite Christmas song? “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” is my favorite to sing with others.  “O Holy Night” is my favorite to listen to soloists, duets and choirs sing.  “Silent Night” might be the most beautiful, especially a capella in candlelight. I also love “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” because it means the start of my favorite hour of the year. To say that the Christmas Eve service…

What will your life be like in the year 2045? That’s the question my ninth-grade students had the opportunity to think and write about recently.  What will life be like in 25 years?  What jobs will they have and where will they live? How will the world be similar to and different from 2020? The assignment to write two pages imagining life in 2045 is how we start the Careers Unit.  I learn so much…

Well, I took the bait.  It happens about once every two weeks or so.  I replied to a semi-political comment on Facebook.  I should know better.  In my defense, the original post was about the no-barrier COVID testing available this week in Luverne. It wasn’t technically political.  I would have passed it by, but the author of the post mentioned online learning.  As a teacher experiencing hybrid…

Last week I stepped back in time. I only went six months back in time, but it felt like so much farther.  As we started the new school year, I turned on my classroom flat-panel display. It’s a large TV/computer screen that I use to teach every day.  When I turned on the screen for the first time this school year, I was surprised what I saw. The same Internet tabs that I used on March 16, the last…

Hi! I’m Jason, a teacher trying to fill in for the summer.” That’s how I responded to Kevin Kyle, the sports editor of the Pipestone County Star, at Redbird Field Sunday.  He saw me standing safely behind the net with a notebook under my arm and camera raised, attempting to get quality photos during the Pipestone at Luverne amateur baseball game.  Kevin was on the other side of the net where hard…

We all want to be right.  We all want and need to be part of a group.  We believe that those who share our opinions are also always right.  These three concepts form the basis of partisan politics.  Republicans agree with and defend other Republicans and Democrats do the same for other Democrats.  My team vs. their team. Conservatives vs. liberals. We’re right. They’re wrong.  It’s how it works.…

Staying positive was one of my main goals as the pandemic began to impact us in mid-March. As the weeks – and  now months – have gone on, it’s gotten somewhat harder to stay positive for me, and maybe for you, too.  In order to focus on the positive, I’ve been making a mental list of the changes COVID-19 has brought that I hope remain long term.  Or, to use popular pandemic phrases, these are the…

Many of us are spending more time at home now than ever before.  Global pandemics of highly infectious diseases with no known treatment or vaccine tend to have that effect, I guess.  In mid-March, most of our lives were changed in ways that are pretty hard to believe.  When the students left school on March 16, it was not a good feeling.  Bringing everything to my house that I needed to teach…

‘So many things I never thought I’d see happening right in front of me.’        Seldom do the lyrics of a country song ring more true than those words do now.        The refrain of Brad Paisley’s 2009 song, “Welcome to the Future” includes that phrase.        The lyrics of the song highlight how things change over time and how surprising those changes are when looked at over a lifetime.       …

I’m in the process. And let me tell you, it’s been a real process.  If you haven’t heard, our “normal” Minnesota driver’s licenses will no longer qualify as adequate identification for boarding a domestic flight after Oct. 1. At least that’s how I understand it. When my driver’s license renewal notice arrived in December, I realized this was my chance to upgrade to my “real” ID.  I had two months…