My son Carl and I in 2015.
BethWagoner.com is a website owned and operated by Beth Wagoner (that’s me). I have maintained this website for several years. I received my Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Human Development from the University of Kansas (KU) in May of 2001. I moved from studying these subjects as an undergraduate to deciding that I wanted to study instructional technology in graduate school as a result of working at the Academic Computing Services (ACS) Department at KU from my junior year until graduation. I enjoyed working for ACS because I was able to help people with computing problems and expand my knowledge about computers at the same time. I was promoted from being a lab assistant, to working at the Help Desk, and finally to the Student Trainer. In these positions, I had the opportunity to troubleshoot computer problems, teach, develop training materials, and work on the Academic Computing Services web site. I enjoyed these activities so much that I decided to study them in graduate school and pursue a career in the field of instructional technology.
After my son was born, I started working part-time for Lincoln Public Schools. I was hired as a substitute teacher and a para-educator. In these roles, I have assisted teachers in classrooms, worked one-on-one with students, and have taught students from grades K-12. As a para, I enjoy working in preschool classrooms. When I substitute teach, I like teaching courses like art, computer science, and working as a media specialist in libraries.
In August of 2019, I started working at Nebraska Game and Parks during the summers. In this role, I answered the phone in their Reservation Call Center. I took reservations for cabins and camp sites at over 20 Nebraska State Parks and State Recreation Areas. I used my customer service skills to help callers make reservations and to choose the best dates and locations for their vacations at the parks in the state of Nebraska. I got to know a lot about the parks in Nebraska and had the opportunity to visit several of them during the years I worked there. I also worked for them while the public schools were closed during COVID-19. NGPC was very busy during this time because spending time outside was one of the safest activities you could engage in during the restrictions of the pandemic. I left this role in March of 2024 to focus more time on my work at LPS.
