To continue the ongoing Thursday Profile segment, I sat down and interviewed one of my favorite teachers: Mr. Sharkey. I’ve taken French since the seventh grade and have had him for four years now, and he’s always been a very encouraging and effective teacher as well as a funny and helpful person. I was interested in learning about what he was like in his own high school years, and I’m sure you are too.
- Which high school did you attend?
Chariho Regional High School in Southern Rhode Island.
- What is your funniest memory from high school?
The funniest thing I remember was trying to film a version of The Count of Monte Cristo at a school dance with my friends. I’m pretty sure I played the main character Dantès. Unbeknownst to us, the school yearbook was there and took a picture. Now we’re in the yearbook with these collars popped up and looking ridiculous; I think we just really enjoyed the book and wanted to do it…I had a very odd best friend in high school. We never finished the movie but it would’ve been the best version ever.
- What is your biggest regret from high school?
Not trying as hard as I could have. All my teachers at parent-teacher conferences would always say that there was no reason I should not have had straight A’s, yet I didn’t work to get them. I definitely tried harder in college as I was in three honors societies by the time I graduated. I just wish I had my awakening sooner in life.
- What sports did you play in high school?
I did football for one year, and ran cross country for the other three. I also did both indoor and outdoor track.
- Which clubs did you participate in?
I don’t believe I was a part of any club, now that you mention it. Honestly, I don’t really remember my high school having any clubs. No French club or Spanish club, nothing like that… As I said, we were a regional school, so we were made up of the three surrounding towns and still only had just about as many kids as we have here at OA. We were surrounded by lots of fields and that type of stuff, so most of my time after school was really devoted to sports. However, outside of school, my friends and I did create a band starting my sophomore year of high school in which I played guitar.
- What was your favorite subject?
French was my favorite subject. I’ve loved languages as long as I’ve been a student of them.
- Who was your favorite teacher?
It’s a tie for my favorite teacher. Both my French teachers in high school were amazing and did a great job making the subject interesting. I also really liked my History & Latin teacher; he was probably the one who had the biggest sole influence on me. He was actually the one who told me and my friends to start a band. I hadn’t even played an instrument, but he basically said that we were all friends and he thought we should learn instruments and just start a band. He had his own band, and we named ours after his. We ended up playing for six years together through college, so he clearly had a big impact on me. He was the absolute biggest influence on me that any teacher has been, and that’s including professors, elementary school teachers, etc.
- What were you like in high school?
I was not the student I could’ve been; I was successful, but didn’t study much. I think overall I enjoyed the subjects, I liked doing sports, playing music, seeing my friends, etc., but I always looked forward to college and didn’t enjoy enough of high school while I was there. Not that I didn’t like it, but looking back on it now it was a lot better than I thought it was at the time.
- Did you always want to be a teacher?
No, I never wanted to be a teacher. My mother always wanted me to be one and I used to disagree with her, but then I went and did it. When I actually tried it, I realized it was something I enjoyed doing and believed I was fairly good at. I did not want to be a teacher in high school or college; I graduated from college with a double major degree in French and Political Science – nothing to do with education. But I went to Japan and taught for a year, and when I came back I started substitute teaching. I then went to Providence College to obtain my teaching certificate. After college I had to do six classes of education and then had to be observed for what counted as three classes; this past summer I just finished my Masters as well.
- If you weren’t a teacher, what would you have been?
When I was trying to decide whether I wanted to teach, I took the Foreign Service Officers Exam. You needed 154 to move on to the interview stage; I got 153.2. I took that as a sign that I should stick with my teaching classes and no longer pursue that. During the test, I found myself answering a lot of the application problems using my teaching experience – it made me realize more of what I was interested in.
- Any advice for the students here in Oliver Ames?
Put your best foot forward every day. I know you guys have a ton of work and are involved in a lot of things, but going into it with a good attitude is the best way to approach it.