Much to contrary belief, teachers do have a life outside of the classroom. Some participate in clubs/sports as coaches and advisors, while others enjoy time with their families. But often, it never crosses students’ minds that their mentors might actually…do stuff. John Gray, a janitor here at HBHS, said, “I’m pretty tired when I get home from work, but I do collect guitars during the summer.” Interesting things like that come just by starting a conversation from an HBHS faculty member about their hobbies. Here’s a quick look into the lives of the people who advise and teach us throughout the course of the school year.

Deborah Maloney, a science teacher at HBHS, has a much more interesting life than many students would think. She teaches Sunday school, spends time outdoors, and is the advisor for the chemistry club. Some of her free time is spent doing arts and crafts, and at one point she even considered making art her major as it is her passion. Even now, she is very active in pursuing art as a hobby. Maloney learned Russian iconography, which in layman’s terms is being able to correctly draw religious figures and know their meaning. She is a black belt in taekwondo, but doesn’t like to brag, and she spent her summer learning to play the washboard from a band called Happy Halls in Virginia.

Michael Fox is a legendary English teacher at HBHS, during school hours. But he’s gone by 3:00 to go for a walk, coffee in hand. He spends his free time with his cat, running errands, and watching football. He enjoys reading, which isn’t surprising given his field of expertise. He attends numerous sports events at school, supporting cross-country and soccer teams. And over the summer, Fox attends study programs to prepare for the following school year.

Stacey Plummer, a math teacher at HBHS, spends most of her free time with her 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. She is a co-advisor for the math team and enjoys cooking–cooking, not baking. Plummer is also involved in athletics. She is the cross-country and track coordinator for home meets, and she participates in races on her own on a regular basis. Her favorite part of time away from the school, however, is how connected she still is in the community as a resident of Brookline.

Teachers are hired to teach students lessons, not to become their friends. But they still have very interesting lives outside of school.  Doing the same thing every second of your life would get boring, and every teacher does their own things that they love doing and talking about, beyond the classroom. Each person has their own hobbies to keep their sanity, but it’s hard to picture some teachers outside the classroom. They all have families that they love spending time with, and activities they do in their spare time, some for amusement and others as necessity. These are only three teachers from our school, but you could take it further and start a conversation with any faculty member that I’m sure you would enjoy.