I had the privilege of interviewing one of the greatest teachers in the social studies department; Mr. Schantz. After asking how many years he had taught, he replied, “Thirty-one years and I’m out”. His inspiration for teaching was his past teachers, Mr. Addison Davison and Bruce Hoffman. He has a bachelor’s degree from Millersville and a master’s degree from West Chester, and he gained an additional thirty credits. I asked if teaching was his first choice of career and he replied, “I was undecided briefly but I quickly leaned toward the teaching profession”. I then asked since he is nearing retirement, what he aspires to do once he retires and he responded, “I want a hands-on manual labor job where I can work alone with nobody to bother me so I can work in a stress-free environment”. I also asked him who motivates him the most, and he quickly responded with his daughter, Sydney. I asked if he wished to teach other topics and he replied no. I then asked, “What do you hope students can learn from you?” and he responded with “I want students to learn basic human decency and the most essential but basic human stuff”. I then asked if he had any hobbies outside of school and he said “landscaping and music but mainly the guitar”. I then asked who supported him most when he started and he replied that his former high school teachers and his social studies department. His favorite quote is “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints” from Billy Joel’s famous song Only The Good Die Young. I also asked what his favorite moment in his teaching career was when Pottsgrove won the Preston and Steve Camp-Out for Hunger when Pottsgrove raised more money than any other school in the area. I then asked what he learned from teaching and he said that kids don’t come close to having the motivation for learning as they used to. I also asked if he had any advice for new teachers or students aspiring to be teachers and he said, “Pick another career, but on a serious note we need a resurgence of care for each other in learning”. Lastly, I asked if there was anything else they would like to add and he said “I have 172 days left in my career and I hope there will be a radical shift at Pottsgrove to bring back the glory days”.
