Mr. Smith OO
Teacher Feature: Mr. Smith
- If you could change one historic event, which one would it be?
- If I could alter an event in history, I would prevent Christopher Columbus (and other European explorers) from finding the Americas. The indigenous nations that were here before us were brilliant and important, and very few of them survived colonization.
- What quote most resonates with you?
- From Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: “I would always rather be happy than dignified.”
- What was the most humbling moment in your life so far?
- The most humbled I have ever felt was my first year of teaching high school. It was one of the most challenging and rewarding years of my life.
- How do you make the world a better place?
- One of the ways I think we could all make the world a better place is questioning what we think we know and being honest about not knowing things. I am always trying to remind myself that I don’t know everything, which takes practice, but it’s important. I think if people were more comfortable asking questions, seeking education, and admitting that we might be wrong about something, the world would be very different.
- What do you consider to be your personal calling?
- I would summarize my personal calling as an aspiration to leave the world happier, healthier, safer, more open-minded, and more interesting than how I found it.
- Bonus: If you were in a witness protection program, what would be your new name and where would you go?
- I would become Gilbert March, move to Cornwall, and raise sheep.