Behind the Scenes with Teachers

An in-depth look at how students view their teacher versus the cold, hard facts

 

Mr. Andre poses for a quick picture after a successful classroom activity in the Library with his first block U.S. History class.

Not many students realize that teachers lead a pretty normal life outside of teaching 7 hours a day, five days a week.  I decided to interview one of Lafayette’s great history teachers, Mr. Andre, to give us a look into the average day in the life of a teacher, and what he enjoys to do aside from his work.

David Andre teaches U.S History for juniors and World History II–primarily for the freshmen.  This is is his fourth year being apart of the Ram Fam and says that he absolutely loves the school spirit here and how welcoming and kind all of the faculty is.  Above all, the students are the reason he keeps on doing what he loves, as he strives to educate the younger generation about the past and never gives up to see his students’ knowledge broaden from his instruction.  In addition to getting the inside scoop from Mr. Andre himself, I also interviewed two students that have Mr. Andre as a teacher to see how their feedback compares to his answers in totality.

 

Mr. Andre always goes around during group work activities to make sure everyone is on task and knows what to do; leaving no one behind before moving on to the next subject.

 

 

Student Interviews:

Talissa Fenske (Junior) and Eric Cox (Junior)

Samantha Soule: What do you think Mr. Andre does after school on a regular day?

Talissa Fenske: Since he’s a major dog person, I think he goes home and takes his dog out for a long walk.

Eric Cox:  He seems like a real family-oriented guy, so my guess is that he goes home and does some renovations around the house–maybe some repairs or something of that nature, and spends time with his wife and family more than spending time alone.

SS: What kind of activities do you think he enjoys being a part of? Such as clubs, communities, sports, activities he takes part in, etc.

TF: I believe that he focuses more on activities revolving around personal experiences rather than on materialistic things; Mr. Andre just seems like a really genuine guy all-around.

EC:  I don’t really know what he really would do, but I have a strong feeling that he goes and plays golf with “the boys”.  He probably goes out and makes frequent coffee runs as well.

SS: On average, what time do you think Mr. Andre leaves school?

TF:  I feel like he for sure stays here until four to get work done at school so that he has fewer tasks to complete at home to leave more time for relaxing from a long day at work.

EC: I don’t think he stays here very long at all because I’m sure he is just as eager as the students to get out of the building as soon as possible, so I would have to say about 2:30.

SS: Do you think he goes out a lot? Or do you think that he is a more of a “homebody”? If so, where do you think he goes out?

TF:  I can’t really tell, to be honest.  However, I think he goes out at least once a week to dinner or something of that nature with his wife.

EC:  Yeah, I know he goes out a lot, he is really sociable and out-going.  He probably goes out with his friends to the bar or a restaurant for something casual to stay in touch with everyone over the years.

SS: What’s your favorite trait about Mr. Andre? Why?

TF:  That he is so freaking kind– he has a big heart and always puts others’ success before his own– he is just a very humble guy that no one could dislike.

EC:  His glasses, for sure.  They remind me of Professor Farnsworth from Futurama.

SS: What do you think powers him to stay so motivated and happy throughout the school day?

TF: I think its students like me and Sam that make him keep going–mostly because we do our work and provide a sense of comedic relief for him.

EC:  Above all, I believe what powers him even in the lowest point of the day is his wife and his baby girl on the way.

 

Samantha Soule
A candid picture of Mr. Andre teaching his first block U.S. History class more on World War II and how it ended.

Teacher Interview: David Andre

Samantha Soule: What do you usually day on a regular work day after the school day has ended?

David Andre:  Some days I go to the gym or to CrossFit, other days I just go home and play with my dog.

SS: What kind of activities do you partake in?

DA:  I really enjoy being active like kayaking, going to the gym or CrossFit occasionally, being with my dog, oh, and I really love to hike.

SS: On average, what time do you end up leaving school on a weekday?

DA: I don’t really like staying for more than need, so I stay until about 2:45 t0 take care of some paperwork and then I go home and do the rest there–if needed.

SS: Are you a stay-at-home type of guy or do you prefer to be out and about?

DA: If it’s up to me, I definitely like going out over staying in.

SS: What is one thing that you are really proud of yourself for?

DA:  Well, last summer I hiked over 100 miles–of course not all in one go, but I’d like to say I am pretty proud of myself for that.

SS: Lastly, is there anything you’d like students to know about you that may surprise them or distinguish you from the teacher aspect most students only have of you?

DA:  Well, I guess it’s a little odd and kind of considered my hobby, but in my garage, I have a collection of over 200 license plates from all over the United States and some foreign ones.

When comparing these interviews, I realized how much students don’t know their students on a personal level, even though they spend most of their time with them from Monday to Friday and I think there should be more of a bond between teachers and students to get to know more than just “the teacher” or “the student” aspect.