By MADELINE REIDA

Staff writer

Most kids from urban areas are afraid of driving in the country, with looming threats from deer and rough roads. Colby Nafzinger is more intimidated by the city.

“Driving in downtown Newton wasn’t fun,” Colby said about his experience in driver’s ed. “I don’t have a lot of driving experience in towns.”

Colby recently finished driver’s education at Goessel High School and was certified with a farm permit. He had a leg up in the class because he helped on his parents’ and grandfather’s land. He has been driving smaller tractors off-road since he was 5 and helped with harvest last year.

His motivation to get his permit was to help his parents and grandfather more during harvest, as well as get out on the road. He wants to help neighbors tour land and get a job next summer.

“I like working with cars and driving,” he said. “And I’d like to get a job as soon as it’s possible.”

Goessel’s class had roughly 20 students, with Colby being one of only four boys. Curtis Guhr, teacher, thinks the small size is because some freshmen weren’t old enough to take the class. Among Colby’s friends, he was the second to get a license.

“I didn’t know how to pass before, since I was driving tractors,” he said. “I learned how to pass on the interstate. And I also learned how to properly check behind; the tractors had big mirrors, so I hadn’t done that before.”