The Wise Teachings of Mr. David Howard by Braxtan

The Wise Teachings of Mr. David Howard by Braxtan - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

Tom Rademacher, the 2014 Minnesota Teacher of the Year once was quoted as saying “It's downright dangerous to be a teacher that stands out, doubly so if you stand out for being successful.” Never has this quote been better personified by a person than it is by Mr. David Howard. Mr. Howard was a part of the strongest student-teacher relationships I’ve ever had, and without a doubt, the wisest teacher I’ve ever had the privilege of associating myself with. Mr. Howard’s lessons extended far beyond the classroom. He taught me things like openness to trying new things, or his ability to teach both academic and life lessons through absurd analogies, and maybe most importantly, how to always be comfortable being yourself.

My first year with Mr. Howard was also his first year teaching Social Studies at the High School level. He previously taught middle school social studies at a gifted and talented magnet school and came to North Lakes seeking change. Mr. Howard dove into this new experience head first with a contagious sense of optimism. His first real test was open house, and it obviously went well because he declared to the world on Facebook later that night that he had “just met a collection of some of the brightest, most engaging, and enthusiastically-shy and confidently uncomfortable young people I've ever seen. I am therefore confident that my own absurdities, anxieties and glaring weakness will put them at east at once. It's going to be a good year my people…” This was the end of step one, and step two came a week later: Mr. Howard’s first day of high school. This was his next test, and unfortunately, he failed it. He unknowingly spilled coffee on one of the tables, which he later sat in. He completely soaked his rear end and the back of his shirt and didn’t notice until one of his students told him. Despite the obvious embarrassment on his face, he kept a positive mentality, and shook it off stating, “It could be worse!” The first lesson is always, no matter how many mistakes you make, continue to try new things!

Mr. Howard was known for is ability to teach academic and life lessons through absurd analogies, later known as Howardisms, or more popularly on Twitter... #ThingsHowardSays. Academically he taught lessons in Philosophy such as “There are a lot of temples in Greece, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one.” One of the most popular academic Howardisms was when we became the self-proclaimed “History Day Drug Dealer.” He told a bunch of skeptical students that strongly disliked history that by May, the date of the next year’s NHD announcement, that all of them would be so addicted to NHD research that they will be standing outside his classroom door asking him for the 2017 NHD theme like junkies waiting for the next fix. He also compared NHD research to cleaning out a litter box. You have to sift through a lot of information and scoop out only the most important chunks. His most important lessons weren’t academically related or strictly for the classroom. Often times I would come to Mr. Howard to talk about issues in classes because it would bore my girlfriend to the point of tears or sleep, whatever came first. He taught me that school is not about factoring polynomials, but how to learn to cope in complex problem solving situations. One of the most important things he ever taught me was to live innocently and have fun. He taught us to go into every day with optimism and excitement, or in his words, “Live like a dog and don't apologize for it.”

When Mr. Howard announced that he would be leaving his job after just one year to figure out who he really is, he left me with one last lesson, posted on Facebook: “A man can spend away years of his life worrying on and trying to perfect WHAT he is... without ever knowing WHO he is. This has been true for me. I've spent the last decade or more confident in the identity of WHAT I was. And now, for a season, I am not that. The beautiful part of this is that I'm beginning to discover finally WHO I am- and it is SO much better. I implore you to begin to forget about what you are and instead seek out who you are. You will be thrilled by the discovery.” The lesson is self explanatory, it states that you really shouldn’t look for what you are, but rather who you are. I will remember this lesson for the rest of my life.
Looking back now, if it weren’t for the influence of Mr. Howard’s unique worldview, I would be lacking a serious moral compass. Through his unique methods of education, I have learned important traits like kindness, decision making, when and how to grant second chances, being open with people, overcoming obstacles, trying new things, and how to be yourself. If I turn out to be half the guy that he is, I would be nothing short of an amazing person, and that is an understatement. It all stems from his worldview in life, and it truly goes to show how important the lens in which you view things is.