Teachers often try to teach beyond their curriculum. Life lessons are offered and mostly ignored, but what teachers talk about between powerpoints often reflects their interests beyond the classroom.
“I try and share a little bit about my life so kids can feel comfortable in the classroom,” History teacher Phil Mitchell said.
For some, they occasionally share the fruits of their work outside the wall of Free State with their students. “I love to cook,” said social studies teacher Kim Grinnell, “so every now and then I’ll bring in food I’ve cooked as a treat.”
According to Mitchell, teachers also take extra care to make themselves good role models for their students.
“I try to show them the benefits of hard work and long-term goals. High school students don’t always see that, so I like to talk about my life outside of school.”
For Grinnell the door swings both ways, her love of history is reflected in where she chooses to travel. “I’m a history geek by nature so I pick historical places to go to then talk about them in my classes.”
Spending a limited amount of time in one room with a teacher, can give students the impression that teachers never leave the school.
“When I was little I thought teachers slept in their classrooms,” junior Emma Cormack said about her surprise in finding out teachers had lives outside of school when she was younger.
“A lot of times when I see students outside of class, they seem surprised to find out that I would be doing something other than teaching,” said History teacher Phil Mitchell.
But according to social studies teacher Kim Grinnell, meeting students outside of school is fun, “If I know a student is working some place, I’ll make a point to go there when their working, so I can give them a tip or something.”
Teaching allows for different schedule than the rest of the working world. With summers off, teachers take the opportunity to further explore their interests.
“During the summers I’m a commissioner for a downtown kickball league,” Mitchell said. “That takes up a lot of time then, but there’s stuff to do with that year round.”
Teacher groups also offer social gathering for Free State educators. Currently offered for teachers to get to know each other better is The Order of the Phoenix book club, and a spinning class taught by Physical Education teacher Nancy Hopkins. in the new exercise room.
![After receiving advice from her students, orchestra director Judy Erpelding marks her music. Although the director normally makes the artistic decisions, Erpelding will often consult her students and hear their opinions on what sounds good and what they should try out. “[The students] are the heart of the program, not me,” Erpelding said. “I know they will carry that on and I will miss them. Making great music with them, being able to challenge them, taking their inspiration.”](https://www.fsfreepressonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Roust_Erpelding_5_11_23-600x900.jpg)
