I have taught history in a variety of venues for 33 years. I began as a graduate teaching assistant teaching American History Survey at the University of New Hampshire. I taught as an adjunct with the University System of New Hampshire for about 5 or 6 years. I taught at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, Massachusetts; at Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; at Bradford College in Bradford, Massachusetts; at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts; at St. Joseph College in Rutland, Vermont; Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire; Rose State University in Midwest City, Oklahoma; the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics; and for the past 16 years, Bacone College. I have had dozens of classes, thousands of students. I once penned a poem about my experience, which follows:
History Teacher
Sea of heads, nodding asleep
Lecturing to myself,
Glazed silent eyes, sleep is deep
Words put on a shelf.
Gathering dust, words of the past
No one hears the song,
Voice drones on to the very last
They'll be gone before too long.
Life renewed, movement begins
As soon as the class bell rings,
Story is over of mankind's sins
That's all that history brings.
Lessons of time, meaning irrelevant
Apathy everywhere,
Those of today whom we call intelligent
Simply don't seem to care.
Futile effort, to compete with the trends
Of today's popular culture,
They think of the means, I think of the ends
The wolf leaves scraps for the vulture.
Teaching is a most difficult task
Helping others to learn,
How can you know if you never ask?
Not the answer but the question should burn.
So I teach students to question
The truths handed down from above,
Seek by means of reflection
The nature of courage and love.
Questions and answers both from the heart
The source of all that is true,
Comes from the unity, not just the part
The one more than the few.
“It's there don't you feel it?” I ask--
And as they start to believe,
And hum the inquisitive anthem
One simply asks, “Can we leave?”
History Teacher
Sea of heads, nodding asleep
Lecturing to myself,
Glazed silent eyes, sleep is deep
Words put on a shelf.
Gathering dust, words of the past
No one hears the song,
Voice drones on to the very last
They'll be gone before too long.
Life renewed, movement begins
As soon as the class bell rings,
Story is over of mankind's sins
That's all that history brings.
Lessons of time, meaning irrelevant
Apathy everywhere,
Those of today whom we call intelligent
Simply don't seem to care.
Futile effort, to compete with the trends
Of today's popular culture,
They think of the means, I think of the ends
The wolf leaves scraps for the vulture.
Teaching is a most difficult task
Helping others to learn,
How can you know if you never ask?
Not the answer but the question should burn.
So I teach students to question
The truths handed down from above,
Seek by means of reflection
The nature of courage and love.
Questions and answers both from the heart
The source of all that is true,
Comes from the unity, not just the part
The one more than the few.
“It's there don't you feel it?” I ask--
And as they start to believe,
And hum the inquisitive anthem
One simply asks, “Can we leave?”