When Mr. Decker told me that I had to write an essay on a teacher I was thrilled… about the interview. I’m not a huge fan of writing. In fact it is my least favorite thing about school, but for the sake of the lovely teacher I’m interviewing I’ll grit my teeth and grind it out. In the interest of my grades and of the relationship of my teacher I hope this is good. Nevertheless, thinking about who I was going to interview was tough. I love all my teachers, well most, but let’s face it, teachers can be scary. So, sifting through all my teachers taking out all the ones I couldn’t do, I chose a true candidate that could very well be one of the greatest teachers of all time. Sure, he slaps sticks against the desk and ignores me when I have questions but trust me he’s pretty radical. So ladies and gentlemen boys and girls, I present to you… Mr. Gregg.
Starting from his childhood Mr. Gregg has been into sports. He grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, a beautiful city 50 miles from the coast. The cold winters are perfect for sledding, hockey, and building snowmen, and that’s precisely what Mr. Gregg did. Mr. Gregg was an adamant hockey player, in fact his dream as a kid was to play for the NHL for Massachusetts’s own, the Boston Bruins. In summer Mr. Gregg got up to all that a little boy could. Worcester was hot and humid but that didn’t stop him from playing a multitude of sports like soccer, baseball, and swimming in his pond. According the Mr. Gregg, he was a good student in elementary but it’s up to you to believe him or not…
Highschool was a different time for Mr. Gregg. He didn’t play any sports for highschool or college teams, but instead for a men’s league hockey team. When asked if he had fun, he answered with a blatant no, and when asked why, he said it was because he didn’t take it seriously. His bad grades got the best of him and when it came time to go to college, he wasn’t ready. When he was 25 he decided he was ready for college. When he went, he wanted to be there. Mr. Gregg didn’t get to go to the college he wanted right away, so he attended a community college for a semester to prove that he could get good grades. Then, he was off to CSU. In contrast to the job he occupies now, Mr. Gregg did not go to school to be a teacher, in fact he went to become a geologist. Which could partly explain how he ended up here.
Mr. Gregg was attracted to Colorado because of the mountains and the big sky. Mr. Gregg got his first job as a teacher at Mt. Garfield Middle School in 2003. Today he has taught for 15 years. He decided to come to the 8/9 as soon as he heard it was being built. I asked him why he teaches this grade and he told me that he could teach a different grade if he wanted to but that he liked this grade in particular because a lot of kids struggle at this age with getting good grades and that his primary goal was to make sure that kids didn’t mess up their futures. Besides being the wonderful teacher he is, Mr. Gregg loves to be outdoors (ironic because he spends five days of the week inside most of the day). His favorite activities include hiking, gardening, yard work (like honestly who likes doing yard work?) and watching his kids play sports. As for some other random things about Mr. Gregg, he is a devoted fan to the New England Patriots, and every Boston team there is, and even though no one in Colorado likes the Patriots he proceeds to talk to us constantly about Tommy Touchdown (a.k.a. Tom Brady). Unlike sports teams, Mr. Gregg and I share some favorites. His favorite superhero is Spiderman, favorite color green, and his favorite subject science. He also claims he’s a good cook (we’ll have to ask his kids about that).
I never got it when kids said they didn’t like teachers. Sure they can be scary, but most of them are just normal people like you and me, and aren’t just teachers to torture kids. Mr. Gregg was really great to interview because he had a worthy motive behind his teaching career and it’s obvious to me and the rest of his students that he is a devoted and passionate teacher. Prior to some people’s belief he is a pretty cool guy. He just wants what’s best for his students and that, in my opinion is what makes a good teacher, good, so nice job Mr. Gregg. I think you are doing what any teacher should, and that earns you an A+ job in my book.