RATHDRUM - Mark Worthen was taught to be content with where you are.

Worthen has been an educator for 33 years, a Rathdrum City Council member for 16 and a driving tester for 15.

"You don't have to jump around to be happy," he said.

Worthen also believes that humor and animation are key ingredients of the mixture along the way.

In his classroom at John Brown Elementary in Rathdrum, it's not unusual to see him instructing from the top of a desk. At the Mormon church he attends in Rathdrum, he heads up the music as if he's leading a college marching band. And he's been known to lighten the mood at Rathdrum City Council meetings and while testing people behind the wheel.

Worthen has taught third-graders at John Brown for 19 years and previously was the principal at Spirit Lake Elementary. He also taught at Betty Kiefer Elementary in Rathdrum and in Goshen, Utah.

"I love teaching the third grade," he said. "The kids are old enough to where you can do some fun stuff."

Why is teaching so rewarding to you?

There's students in high school who see me in the grocery store and tell me that they still know their seven-times tables. Some have even told me that they voted for me. I enjoy teaching a little different and with action verbs. I will jump on a desk because they will always remember a teacher jumping on the desk. My classroom is a touch noisier than the traditional classroom, but hopefully it's a learning noise. With kids, you need to be a bit of an entertainer, but I can't tap-dance as much as I used to.

I tried the principal thing for three years, but I really missed being a classroom teacher. Some of my students from when I first taught in Utah still keep in touch with me. Some have taken awhile to grow to love, but over the years - and there's been about 1,000 of them - I can't think of a kid who I didn't like.

Share an example of one of your students who overcame hurdles.

A few years ago, a girl had a tough family situation and had two step-fathers in the house during that year. She's a smart girl and I saw her break through that situation. She made the decision to overcome whatever family situation she has. You've got kids in which school is the best place for them.

You've seen education change a lot during your time as a teacher. First, reflect on the good changes.

Today you know exactly where each is because we diagnose them so much. You can tell parents about much more than just their grades because each subject is broken down so much. Some parents want to know that information and others simply want to know if their child is reading OK. Some parents come in seemingly every other day asking how their child is doing. And, with others, report cards are sent back to school still sealed.

What changes have been made for the worse?

I never thought that I would say this, but I'm old school. We test too much. Too much time is spent on assessment and it takes away from teaching time. A lot of time the fun activities are postponed until after testing is over in May. But I think education is going in a good direction overall. We just need to keep an eye on the testing because the stress level of the kids is higher. I do love my job and I think our school does a great job of educating kids.

Reflect on your time as a Rathdrum City Council member.

The first time I ran I was a write-in candidate because nobody was interested. I received 19 votes and I won. Rathdrum has changed quite a bit since then. I had heart surgery so I had to resign for a couple years, so this is my second go-round.

You seem to enjoy serving and you often interject humor into the meetings.

I believe in being professional, but sometimes you have to lighten up a bit. Humor is part of me. I've said some stupid things over the years, but it's been enjoyable. I voted against the Radiant Lake subdivision and now I live there. I said that we have enough real lakes in North Idaho so I wondered why we needed a fake one. My term is up in 2018 and I'll probably run again because I enjoy it. I enjoy making a difference in the town that I want to live in for the rest of my life.

What have been some of the major topics the council has tackled while you have been on the board?

Radiant Lake, Majestic Park, improving Main Street and Rathdrum Mountain. We're in the public input phase for what to do with the city's mountain property and will make a decision likely in September. I have not made a final decision and I had green dots and red dots (at the public input meeting indicating which activities to support or oppose) just like everybody else. If it's well-managed, it would be nice if the citizens of Rathdrum could benefit from owning the property.

You are a former driving instructor and still test both teens and adults. What has that experience been like?

Kids are pretty good drivers these days, but you never know what they'll be like back in the high school parking lot. I've had to make a few people cry over the years (for not passing them on the test). The older adults are the hard ones to tell. It's difficult to tell someone who has been driving for 60 years that it's time to give up their license, but it's best for the rest of us on the road.