The Hidden Lives of Teachers
Writer: Radhika Goenka
Editor: Isabel Snare
Think of a teacher, any teacher. What’s the first thing that pops into your mind? Is it the subject they teach? A sport they coach? The slightly disappointing grade on your latest assessment? Or maybe it’s a random fact they once shared about themselves, that you’ve never seemed to forget.
For many students, teachers exist only as authority figures, whose purpose is to teach course material and mark tests. But whether we realize it or not, every one of our teachers have passions, talents, and lives beyond what we see in the classroom.
To explore and highlight this side of our school community, I interviewed seven teachers across different departments and grades, and asked them questions designed to reveal the aspects of themselves that students rarely get to see:
What’s a hidden talent you have?
Is there something about you your students never would’ve guessed?
What would shock your younger self the most if they could see you now?
If you weren’t teaching, what would you be doing instead?
And now Gators, let’s turn this into a game. I will share some experiences, talents, and hobbies YOUR teacher shared, WITHOUT revealing their name. Your challenge? Guess the teacher!
Our first teacher is a true Havergal veteran - they’ve been at this school for 30 years! They’ve taught every grade from JK - 12, and always known they wanted to be a teacher from a young age. Their other passions include gardening, re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia every year, and… raising butterflies?! In fact, their entire family is passionate about animal rescue, owning 2 dogs and 2 cats, and their daughter even works at an animal rescue.
If this teacher won the lottery, they would… start their own animal shelter!
Moving on, we have our second teacher, who loves hanging out with their pet cat. Unfortunately, saying the name of the cat would likely give the teacher away, but don't worry - there’s a hint below! This teacher has a passion for both jigsaw puzzles and musical theater, their favorite being Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. They also enjoy acting in community theater! If this person wasn’t a teacher, they’d probably be a librarian or (in their words) “go into people’s houses and organize things for them”.
Unscramble the following to determine the name of this teacher’s cat: Gnebuuj
This third teacher knew they wanted to be a teacher quite early, and by high school their interest was quite clear. After teacher’s college, they moved to China and taught there for 10 years! They started a family there before eventually moving back to Canada. As a result, this teacher can speak and understand Mandarin. Outside of school, they enjoy bike riding with their family and computer programming. They’ve even created a website filled with physics simulations!
Fun Fact: This teacher was on the cheerleading team in both high school and university! Although they were initially tricked into it, they came to enjoy the sport.
Our fourth teacher never actually planned on being a teacher when they were younger; both their parents were teachers, and so they saw how demanding the job could be. After university they wanted to travel, but didn’t exactly have the budget for it. So they decided to teach English abroad, and ended up enjoying making connections with students, inspiring them to continue teaching back in Canada. They’ve since taught in a variety of places and love to participate in outdoor activities, such as camping and hiking. They also enjoy listening to indie rock music!
If this person wasn’t a teacher, they’d probably be… a tour guide! So they could keep sharing things they’re passionate about, just in a different way.
Our fifth teacher knew they wanted to work in the field of children and youth or education, and grew up playing lots of sports for fun. They’ve taught a few different subjects overseas in China, where they learned to increase their spice tolerance as that area had spice in every dish of theirs, even the vegetables! Now they enjoy playing badminton, rock climbing, and listening to the Science Vs podcast, where (as a coffee lover) they were glad to learn that coffee isn’t as dehydrating as you think. This teacher’s love for coffee expands to the point where if they weren’t a teacher, they’d probably be a barista at a cozy coffee shop.
Fun Fact: This teacher has a twin sister!
Our sixth teacher has held a variety of interesting jobs over the course of their career. Before becoming a teacher, they also worked on a hollyfarm, carved wooden sculptures, and took a helicopter to plant trees everyday. They originally planned to pursue photojournalism, but their interests shifted after their first year of university. They’ve spent time travelling and hitchhiking across countries, and lived in some pretty unexpected places. Nowadays, they enjoy reading everything from magic realism to dystopian fiction, with a special affection for Haruki Murakami books. Outside of school, they have an interest in collecting and selling watches.
If this person wasn’t a teacher, they’d probably be… working in a bookstore!
Our seventh and final teacher has wanted to be a teacher for as long as they could remember. They have fond memories of putting on glasses and pretending to be one while playing games with friends, and their interests in high school ranged from chemistry to computer science and math. These days, they love going on road trips, going on adventures, being a baton dad, watching movies with family, and coaching soccer. If they weren’t teaching, they imagine they’d be in software design, building video games and creating cool apps.
Something unexpected this teacher has done is… audition for the Canadian version of the show Survivor?! That’s right; this teacher filmed themself camping in the woods for their audition tape. Unfortunately, the show never happened, though it still makes for a great story.
Together, these stories remind us that teachers are much more than just the subject they teach. Hopefully you learned something new about one of your teachers, and if you have a hunch about who they may be, leave your guesses in a form that will be sent out through the DSO announcements. Teachers will be revealed at a later date, also through DSO. Thanks for reading, Gators!