Why I Teach

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

My first job was at my elementary school alma mater in Amherst, Massachusetts. Next, I was offered a job at Trinity Pawling School in Pawling, NY where for two years I worked 16-hour days and loved it. In 1990, I moved on to Delbarton where I found my new home and career at this very special school.

Once teaching, I quickly realized that my new profession was more of a calling than a job. I love to share my interest in history with students and help them develop a life-long love of history and of learning itself. For me, the best moments are when students leave my classroom arguing over topics we discussed in class.

My AP European History course isn’t easy and I’m a fairly demanding coach. I challenge my students in the classroom, and I push my athletes on the field and tennis courts. I have the chance to make the biggest difference in students’ lives as a tennis and soccer coach. While sports teach valuable life lessons, championships don’t mean a thing unless we conduct ourselves with respect and professionalism throughout the season.

Students may not remember details on the War of Jenkin’s Ear* but, in my classroom, they become better writers, public speakers and more thoughtful citizens. I am constantly amazed by what my students say during discussions on controversial historical questions, and I learn more from them each day. I push them to immerse themselves in assignments not merely for a grade, but for the love of learning. Watching my students reenact the trial of Louis XVI in costumes, conduct a paidea discussion on Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, or post on our presidential debate blog…these are moments where I see intellectual curiosity eclipse the tyranny of grades.

During Paideia discussions, Thompson uses a Socratic method that encourages boys to listen closely to others, think critically for themselves and articulate their thoughts and responses to others. Yes, there are grades, but the process itself is the real lesson.

* A teaching moment: The War of Jenkins’ Ear was a controversy between Great Britainand Spainfrom 1739 to 1748 in New Granadaand the West Indies, and historian Thomas Carlyle coined the name over a century later. The conflict began when Robert Jenkins, a British merchant shipcaptain, had his ear cut off by Spanish sailors boarding his ship during peacetime. Stories later circulated that Jenkins’ severed ear was exhibited in British Parliament, but there is no evidence to support the claim.

Tennis Head Coach Thompson stands with the 2008 state-title winning Green Wave Tennis team.

Coach Thompson and team captains Nicolas Gritz ’21, on left, and Christian Lalin ’21 after winning the Westfield ‘Blue Devil’ Invitational Tournament on April 24, 2021 for the first time in Green Wave Tennis history.

Finally, I teach to help others make a difference. Educators are role models, and students closely watch what we do. I urge my students to do the hard thing, whether in their studies or their personal lives.

An acquaintance once remarked that what I did for a living was not especially important because I worked at an affluent prep school, and not helping those less fortunate. I disagree. I believe that I positively impact my students at Delbarton, and that what they learn affects hundreds if not thousands of people as these young men embark upon their careers, and accept leadership roles in society.

Brian Fleury, our late Athletic Director and baseball head coach, always told boys never to be embarrassed about caring deeply about what they do. He urged them to go above and beyond what was expected each day and to take pride in their efforts. I live by those words, and teach our students to follow Brian’s excellent advice.

Some say what I do is ‘fun’ and ‘not a real job at all’. They are right. Teaching is not simply a job, it is a calling. I invest long hours at Delbarton not for financial benefit or recognition but for the benefit of my students and athletes. I never want to let them down. We dohave fun every day and I certainly never dread going to work. I look forward to being here every day. What a gift.

When a former student tells me at Homecoming that I had made a difference in his life, his words mean more to me than financial compensation ever could. These special moments are the real reasons why I teach. Throughout my journey as a teacher, coach, and administrator many things have remained constant: my passion for history, my love of learning, and my desire to try to make a difference in young men’s lives.