After thirty-nine years of working at Lincoln Sudbury, Mr. James, the History Department Coordinator and beloved teacher, is retiring. Mr. James has made a huge impact on the LS community. As History Department Coordinator, Mr. James claims that history is an important subject for young students to learn, as “there’s all these things that are important to you. You remember the good and bad that have happened to all of us and that shape who we are. Without them, we are not the people who we are.”
The history department has improved throughout Mr. James’ time at LS. He states, “I think what we’ve tried to maintain is the individual courses and people being able to do things that makes sense for them [and] not having everybody doing the same thing.” The LS history department offers many unique courses for students taught by passionate teachers. Additionally, during his time at LS, Mr. James has worked to incorporate more writing into the history curriculum. Mr. James states, “When I started teaching here and gave essays, some kids said, ‘Why are we doing this? This is not English, why are we writing essays?’” Mr. James, along with other teachers, created writing expectations for the history department where writing became a core component of history classes.
When asked what he will miss most about LS, Mr. James replies, “I’ll miss the people. So the students and my colleagues I’ll miss the most.” For him, the most memorable moments are the everyday interactions with students and the sense of a strong classroom community: “Friday we have somebody bring in food. That’s a good way to bring people together. We have debates in philosophy and conversations and other history classes [that have] been great.” His students also note that he will be missed, and how much they appreciate the special environment that he works hard to create in his classroom. Bella Reith, a junior at LS, and a student in his philosophy class states, “Having been abroad, I joined Mr. James’ philosophy class halfway through the year, and was particularly nervous about acclimating to a class that had already gotten to know each other. Mr. James cultivated the most welcoming, intellectually curious environment possible, and he supported me in my adjustment all the way. His encouraging teaching style motivates kids to learn for the sake of learning. Food Fridays in class have also definitely been a highlight.”
When reminiscing about his time at LS, Mr. James has looked back over the years he has dedicated to the school, and reflected that, “in a sort of strange way, the idea of retiring from LS has made me think about what I have tried to do over the time here. Thirty-nine years have been here, and I think my time has been well spent. I feel pretty good at what I’ve tried to do.” After his time at LS, Mr. James is looking forward to trying something different and exciting. Mr. James will be missed by many and his impact will live on at LS.
