Mr. Richard Behrens has announced his retirement after 43 years of teaching. He began his career in 1974 teaching at Tech High School. Behrens moved to Omaha Central High School in 1984 and has taught here ever since. He currently teaches World History but has taught American Government and American History in past years. 

Behrens graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He received a degree in American History at Iowa State University and attended graduate school at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Behrens received his master’s in American History and “studied American Literature, American Civilization, Political Science, African-American History, African-American Literature, Journalism, as well as some Sociology, Science and Educational Methods”. 

In addition to teaching, Behrens dedicated much of his time to coaching. While at Tech High School, he was the assistant coach for football for 3 years and boy’s basketball for 10 years, head golf coach for 5 years, and a letterman club sponsor “for a few years”. Behrens was assistant boy’s basketball coach at Central for 6 years and head coach for 11 years. Behrens coached basketball for a total of 27 years. 

Behrens plans to spend his retirement doing things he wasn’t able to do as often as he would like while teaching, such as travelling and being outdoors. “I enjoy playing tennis and would like join a couple of more leagues.  I like biking and running and hiking and being outdoors.  I hope to find time to read even more.  I will look for other worthwhile activities to be engaged in” said Behrens. 

Behrens stated that the most rewarding part of his career has been “to teach and share American history, world history, and political events with high school students.  I always found the students to be quite interesting and great examples of a diverse, urban area.  I enjoyed in being in the downtown schools with the great traditions and great architecture.  I enjoyed working with the students in the classroom and on the basketball court.  And I especially liked the great people and friends I worked with”.