There is no doubt that the teachers at Highlands love what they teach, but do they wish they could teach something different?
Teachers often think about a different subject or class that they would like to teach. Some of these subjects are similar to those they already teach, but some are completely unexpected.
“I would love to teach an elective class on the history of American organized crime. Specifically, the American-Italian Mafia and how it was created,” English teacher Brady Dowling said.
He wants this class to explain in detail the methods of how they make millions of dollars and how they gain their power.
“I would want students to realize the incredibly diverse ways in which you can earn a living; mobsters are some of the most creative businessmen in history, and learning from their mistakes can help you be successful in a legitimate way,” Dowling said.
Teaching this class would showcase topics and business tactics that many people aren’t aware of, this class could also bring light onto situations that aren’t taught in the school system.
Not all teachers teach the subjects they went to college for and put a lot of time into, for example, one of the Spanish teachers, Emily Haffey, has a sports marketing degree.
“I went to college and majored/minored in two things that I love – sports and Spanish. I have continued to use my Spanish, but haven’t had the opportunity to put into practice the things that I learned in my sports marketing classes,” Haffey said.
Some teachers wish they could teach subjects other than the ones they’ve been doing for years.
As much as Haffey loves teaching her Spanish classes, teaching more things she is passionate about would bring an energy into the classroom that was not there before.
Clearly, sports and Spanish are very different topics, but biology teacher Matthew Ewald wants to stay in his comfort zone and teach a marine biology class.
“Since I was a little kid, I’ve always been super interested in marine biology, sharks and stingrays and fish and stuff,” Ewald said.
A marine biology class would not be so different from a regular biology class, the major difference would be that instead of using general concepts of topics like genes and adaptations, Ewald would use examples from the ocean.
History teacher Kelly Booth claims that as much as she loves to teach history, she would love to teach a class on Genocide Studies, this class would consist of units on the holocaust and both world wars.
“I want my students to walk out of that class able to make informed decisions as a citizen and voter, with the knowledge of the past under their belt,” Booth said.
Theater Director Clair LaNicca wants to introduce an Acting for the Camera class which would teach students the difference between theater acting and film acting.
“Film Acting vs Stage Acting is so different; I love the little nuances and small moments that can happen on film and they are a great contrast to the sometimes over-the-top performances that have to happen on large stages,” LaNicca said.
Special education teacher Steven McClamrock thinks teaching another subject as a whole would be a good fit for him.
“If I could teach another subject area, it would be math. I’ve always enjoyed problem-solving, and math allows me to apply prior knowledge to new challenges,” McClamrock said.
Math teacher Abigail McCoy would like to teach a choir class.
“I was always in choir in high school and it was always my favorite class,” McCoy said.
Students were asked what classes they would take from the options the teacher proposed, organized crime had 43% of the votes.
“I love learning about the real truth behind crime as well as deciphering unsolved cases,” Eva Weinel (11) said.
Though organized crime was the fan favorite, Genocide studies was a close second.
“I think it is important to learn about historical mistakes and learn from them. Recognizing and avoiding the warning signs leading up to genocide is crucial to living in a world where communities and cultural groups can interact and experience violent or nonviolent conflict,” Sam Gillen (12) said.
Sports marketing and marine biology also had students interested.
“I really think this class would be interesting because I love to watch sports and the whole idea behind marketing these athletics is a great idea,” Natalie Kirst (9) said.
Christian Bedinghaus (10) thought a class on Marine animals would be interesting.
“Any of my favorite animals are marine animals, as I find their diversity and unique behaviors fascinating,” Bedinghaus said.
Teachers at Highlands High School love what they do, but everyone dreams of something more.
The classes that the teachers said they wanted to teach were surprising but nonetheless interesting. Both students and teachers were excited to discuss possible classes from the teachers and co-workers they love.
