Embedded Files
Written by: Kasey Ottewill
Photo by: Kasey Ottewill
Mr. Petz doing some marking!
We’re all aware of the love that our instructors have for teaching, but who knew that most of them actually love being in the student’s seat too? One of our resident social science teachers, Mr. Petz, sat down with one of the members of the TABloid for an interview that highlighted his educational career, his advice for the students at TAB, and some of his favourite books!
A Burlington native, Mr. Petz has always loved to learn and excelled in both Social Sciences and English. However, in his first year at the University of Toronto, he realized his true passion: History.
A truly pivotal moment in his educational career was reading a book named Rites of Spring by Modris Eksteins. “It was essentially about World War 1, but the first hundred pages were about a single ballet performance,” Mr. Petz said. “I said to myself, ‘What IS this?!’ and I'd never read anything like it.”
After earning his PhD at the Wayne State University in Michigan and beginning the career of a professor, he felt that his passion for influencing and teaching others in person was less important to the job than publishing works. He concluded that being a professor was not for him and that teaching was his calling. He got a job at Blakelock 15 years ago and he has been here ever since.
West and the World, a grade 12 history course, is Mr. Petz’s favoured class to teach because he’s had the opportunity to build off the curriculum and include topics that he studied in his 10 years of university. One book that he cherishes as a history teacher is SPQR: a History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard, which covers the “interesting transition from Republic to Empire, and it looks at Roman intellectual, political, and casual life.”
When teaching high school students, he continues to use university lecture-style stories to engage students. This lively technique can make an entire classroom actually feel invested in the lives and history of ancient figures that initially don't appear to be significant.
“If I can get excited about [history], maybe I can get another couple of people excited about it too,” shared Mr. Petz.
Page updated
Report abuse