Teachers. The people who give us endless homework and tests. But not all of them have always been dishing out grades. We have teachers that have traveled far and wide and experienced other cultures, like a former government agent and several ex-military personnel. But very few people know because few ask.
As a gifted facilitator, Julie Miller is an important asset to the school. But what many people don’t know about her is that she worked in intelligence while in the Navy, which was in cooperation with the National Security Agency (NSA). NSA protects and defends the United State’s security system by monitoring world communications.
Miller focused on foreign intelligence while working at the NSA. She started studying foreign languages in the eighth grade, where she studied French, and went on to learn Spanish and German. Miller started learning Arabic while in the Navy.
“Arabic is a lot of fun. It was the most challenging for me to learn,” Miller said.
If you want to learn a new language, there are a few useful words to know. Words like “hello,” “please,” “food,” and “soccer.” Around the world, soccer is viewed as more than a sport.
“For us, growing up in Cameroon, it’s a religion,” soccer coach Kelly Barah said.
Barah has been playing since his early childhood in Cameroon and into his teens. Barah then went on to play for Cameroon’s soccer team and later professionally for France. Over the years, he played many positions, but he had a slight preference for the defensive end of the field. From there, he stopped playing professional soccer to finish school and graduate.
Though he has stopped playing professionally, Barah never stopped playing soccer. He has been coaching at Free State for five years both on and off the field. He also continues to play on a semi-pro team.
“There is nothing more fun than doing something that you really love to do,” Barah said.
Miller and Barah worked hard for things that they liked to do. But there are some faculty members that worked hard for others.
Before teaching at Free State, social studies teacher Jason Springer taught in Lom Sak, Thailand while serving with the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps was created to expose other cultures around the world to the American people, expose Americans to other cultures and to help other cultures and people with technical problems.
“It definitely opens your eyes; gives you a new perspective on life,” Springer said, fully encouraging people to try it.
Originally sent there to help create a curriculum for Thai teachers that taught English, Springer ended up teaching the class most of the time. During the year and a half he was in Lom Sak, Springer also worked on special projects that benefited the community.
Not many people can say they know the answer to one of life’s many mysteries. Springer probably has a tip or two, but business teacher Ben Mellen can answer one of these questions: why would anyone jump out of a perfectly good airplane?
“I was glad to jump out of there because it wasn’t a perfectly good airplane,” Mellen said.
A small, rumbling, single-engined plane worked its way up over a mile and a half in the vast sky. The ride was shaky; the plane on the verge of falling at any moment.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” the instructor asked. For Mellen, it was an easy choice: jump.
After somersaulting a few times, Mellen was confused and disoriented. He balanced himself, looking straight down at the earth with wind pulling his face back in an almost cartoon way. Pulling the cord, Mellen was jerked up as his parachute expanded and caught the air. From there on, it was a smooth ride. An amazing view all around; just gliding through the air.
“One time. Everybody should do it once,” Mellen finished.
There are over 130 teachers at Free State and only four stories here. Over 126 teachers are waiting to be asked.
