Throughout my high school education, I was blessed with the luck of having many good teachers. My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Bernardo, taught me that I was creative. My 8th grade social studies teacher, Mr. Lowe, taught me that I was in fact a smart kid. But no teacher left a mark on my life like good old Mr. Egbert.
A man in his mid 30’s, Mr. James Egbert started teaching English at West Babylon Senior High School one year before I started my freshman year there. A well schooled man, he got his masters degree from the University of Plattsburgh, in upstate New York. From there he went to teach in a school district that wasn’t far from his home in Melville, NY. After five years teaching there, he was offered, and accepted a job at the school that I was destined to attend
I’ll always remember the first thing he said to us, when he walked into class on the first day of school: “Welcome to high school, kids, this isn’t going to be like any other English class you’ve taken.” It wasn’t until later in the year that I would find out how right he was.
I was always the quiet kid in class and at this awkward time in my life (the culmination of puberty), I was pretty much silent, afraid that my voice would crack and I would be ridiculed. Mr. Egbert wouldn’t have that. After a few writing assignments that I turned in, he was evidently taken by my style. As a result, he would never leave me alone. He would always force me to speak in class and encourage me to get out there and do things with my writing ability. It was only from his persistence that I joined the school newspaper, an activity that would shape my high school experience, and it was because of his convincing that I submitted my essay application to be considered for my school’s French exchange program, where I eventually was accepted.
It was his uncanny ability to recognize potential in students that gave me the motivation to even do well in high school. My freshman year was a rough one, and I spent a lot of time feeling depressed and unmotivated. If it were not for Mr. Egbert pushing me to achieve, I doubt I would have.
One late August day in 2001, as I opened my schedule for the next school year, I realized that my experience with Mr. Egbert was not quite over. I had him for AP Language. At this point in my life, I overcame the awkwardness that was puberty, had a concrete group of friends, and a well rounded high school transcript that I was sure would do me well. This naturally led to my next crossroads: what to do next? Mr. Egbert had contributed greatly to put me where I was at that point, and it was that year that he would help me through it.
I didn’t have an idea where I wanted to go to school, no idea what I wanted to do with my life, no idea where I was going to be after graduation. For a few years prior to that, I had the desire to be a teacher, even though I kept it to myself, as everyone around me seemed to act like that wasn’t a very prestigious career. Besides, I was most concerned with making money, so teaching was out. Throughout the year with Mr. Egbert, he not only taught us advanced English, but that it doesn’t matter what you do in life, as long as you’re happy. I quickly adopted this philosophy. So summarize his point, at the very end of the school year, Mr. Egbert left me with another unforgettable quote: “Make sure, wherever you go from here on, that you’re happy with what you’re doing. Because when you like what you’re waking up for in the morning, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
I came to American University after that summer, with the intent on majoring in journalism, something that would be “respectable” by everyone back home. It wasn’t long before I decided to change that. With Mr. Egbert’s words and a new career in mind, I began my history major, with the intent of one day teaching it.
-- Paul Rothenberg, American University