FOREST CITY, IA--Anne Bakke has always known her purpose in life.
"What you played as a child is a good idea of what you should pick for a career," said Bakke.
She followed that advice to a "T".
"I played school on the front porch and I had a little red pen and I checked all the neighborhood kids' papers," she said.
That early preparation served her well. For more than 20 years now, she's been teaching family and consumer sciences in Forest City. Bakke is also this week's Golden Apple award winner.
"On the very first day of class when they come in for a foods class, what I do is I put my name on the board and I erase one of the k's and I say this is what I'm going to do with you for the rest of the trimester," said Bakke.
Her students love her attitude--and her hands-on lessons. "She's just really fun and she's always happy," said sophomore Gen Halvorsen.
But soon, they'll miss her, because Bakke is retiring at the end of this school year.
"It's kind of a scary thought," said Bakke.
And she says winning the Golden Apple award is the icing on her career cake.
"I think I'll frame it--put it in my kitchen at home," said Bakke.
