We got in touch with a class favorite, who sadly retired in May 2023. We asked him a couple of questions and these are the questions and his answers.
What type of outfit are you wearing?
Dangerous question, be careful, you may not want to know the answer!
I have typically been wearing cut-off T-shirts, gym shorts, and slip-on shoes. If I’m going into town, I put on “town clothes”, shorts, a T-shirt or shirt as I wore in school. Basically, I guess I wear the same styles I wore to school. 🙂 No kilt though, maybe need to work on that.
How’s retirement been treating you?
It’s odd but it felt like summer break until about Oct. Occasionally I would remember, oh yea everyone is back to school. Now it feels like Sat. or Sun. about every day.
I like not having to get up to be at school by 7:45. Been sleeping til 9 or 10. Sometimes I think, man I have to go in tomorrow, then remember, nope I don’t.
At times you do have to get out and go somewhere, other times it’s fine to hang out and do stuff in the house or on the property.
One of the bad things is that I pictured retirement as being the age I used to be, only retired. You know 40, 50, or 60. It can be pretty frustrating when things don’t work like they used to or you have to slow down and take more breaks.
I think teaching High School at Waverly, and talking with and hanging out in the halls with you guys kept me younger in mind and heart. Plus, I learned a lot of different lingo, definitions, music, and other stuff. Hard to understand why people my age look and act old. 🙂
What are you up to now?
I have become much more active with the Sons of Union Veterans again since retiring. I am the Editor of Ohio’s newsletter. While it still contains news from our local groups (camps), I have added several history lessons from the war period. Even gave a couple of quizzes on Civil War vocabulary so that they could check their work later. Guess that’s what you get for getting a retired history teacher!
You may know retired Waverly Band Director and occasional sub, John Huffman. He is now the Sons of Union Veterans State of Ohio Commander. I am his aide and often travel with him to visit local camps in Ohio.
I also have done trip planning for a southern Utah trip you may remember me talking about, worked on getting rid of some stuff around the house, fixed a few things, and done yard work. You know, exciting stuff.
Where have you been recently around the world?
My idea of camping, backpacking, and hiking have evolved. The days of dragging around a backpack, a sleeping bag on the ground, maybe by a fire, were not too appealing, but they were great experiences. Now my preferences are auto touring, cabins, and glamping (staying in a tent with a bed, bathroom, shower, heat & AC).
Went to Shenandoah National Park, VA, and drove the 105-mile Skyline Drive over a long weekend.
In August I spent 2 days in New Hampshire at the annual Sons Of Union Veterans National Encampment and stayed with my son and his wife in the Boston Area for 11 days. Among the things we did was visit Springfield National Armory, go shooting, and eat some Spanish food. I had paella, which is a National Dish of Spain that Nico talked about last year. It is a nice seafood dish.
Finally took that southern Utah trip in the first 18 days of October. Visited Zion, Bruce, and Capital Reef National Parks and 7 other park sites (including Lake Mead and Lake Powell) in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Drove over 2100 miles.
The best driving was on the back gravel roads in several of the national parks and Sites. Fewer people, more challenging, wildlife, beautiful scenery, fantastic views, time off the grid, and mountain switchbacks are among the things that make this fun and give a feeling of adventure. Drove through valleys, narrow slot canyons with rock walls on both sides and up to over 10,000 feet in elevation.
I did not do any world travel, but one of my goals is to visit all 63 US National Parks and many of the other 372 National Sites in the Park system. I am now at 33
Parks and 112 Sites.
What have you missed and what haven’t missed from WHS?
I miss hanging out with students, staff, administrators, and the conversations. Also, hitting a topic in class that students grab a hold of and results in great questions, points, and dialogues. Miss what you guys call getting me sidetracked, but I call a teaching moment, to discuss life and what is going on around us.
I do not miss content standards and tests that do not focus on the true history, greatness, accomplishments, true nature of our country, and real life. Don’t miss the busy work (that I long have suspected is barely looked at) for teachers that come from the state and national government, or the biased School Report cards that do not reflect the true nature of our school districts, which should be controlled at the local level.
Have you ever considered coming back to WHS as a sub?
I am giving some serious thought to subbing this winter if they will let me back. 🙂 Only Waverly and only the High School. Could you see me teaching 4th grade or Junior High? Imagine that!