Not many teachers can bring such an inspiring and entertaining energy to their classrooms, Mr. Bacon, however, is the exception. He graduated from the University of North Carolina with a major in American History after being inspired by a class teaching Roman history he found his path of being a history teacher. Although teaching had always been a natural course in Mr. Bacon’s life, history wasn’t always the route.
When Mr. Bacon was in college, he was a math major only to later turn around and take a history class, finding his true passion. Mr. Bacon had always expressed the value of his students, “I’m really good at trying to make connections with students.” Mr. Bacon emphasizes that history is cyclical and draws similarities between past and present events, helping students make more meaningful connections with what’s being taught. Helping students make those connections has been a highlight in his career, underling those “aha” moments on a students face.
Mr. Bacon is an American history and AP African-American history teacher, he mostly teaches upperclassmen, consisting of juniors and seniors. For him, teaching was more than just a career path, it was a legacy. A majority of his family has held the role of a teacher and educator, because of their influence in his life he naturally followed the path of education. While following this path, Mr. Bacon was able to find his true passion in teaching History.
In his teaching career, Mr. Bacon started out teaching at Wendell middle school and developing a preference for teaching high school students. He spent ten years of his career teaching at Leesville Road High School before beginning his teaching career at Green Hope. He said, “I had an urge to see what else was out there.”. A large reason he chose Green Hope was because of its new AP African-American studies. After being deemed qualified for the positions, he started his role at Green Hope.
Mr. Bacon does an excellent job of engaging students in his lessons, connecting real-world information to funny yet memorable topics. He often makes up phrases or quotes that stand-out, helping his students to understand the subject. He expresses that the connections he builds with students in the classroom makes it all the more rewarding furthering his love of education.
He reflected on how the Covid years were a difficult teaching experience as students struggled to respond or just didn’t want to. He describes the experience as “heartbreaking,” because he builds off of how students feel and respond to the lesson. What Mr. Bacon loves most about teaching the students and teaching a topic he is most passionate about makes it a little bit easier.
Mr. Bacon’s passion and love for the subject is prevalent in his teaching style. Because of his dedication, he is able to meaningfully connect with students while simultaneously offering memorable and engaging lessons. His commitment to teaching, inspired by a family legacy, and his dedication to students, makes him stand out from other teachers.