Mr. Simms

Lilith Roberts - 12/7/21

Mr. Simms has been a teacher at Waterford for 41 years. He teaches all of the history courses and gets every class except the seniors. When I asked Mr. Simms why he became a teacher he told me that he went to school for pre-law at first. He also majored in history. They told him during college that he had better do education too, just in case he changed his mind about pre-law. Therefore, he also went ahead and took social studies and comp. In order to graduate on time, he had to take classes all year round and told me he had only 1 elective his whole college career. He explained that he chose history because his dad had always been the "history buff" and that inspired him. His Aunt was also a history teacher so it just ran in the family for him. I also asked Mr. Simms what his favorite course to teach was and he answered government. However, he says there are parts of the other ones that he loves as well. Some favorite topics he talks about are The Great Depression, WWII, the colonization of America, and world trade during Econ.

Mr. Simms is also a big family guy and they mean a lot to him. He and Mrs. Simms have been together for 41 years, married for 39 of them. His kids are Craig, Katie, and Carrie Ann. Craig and his wife have two kids, Hudson and Madison. Mr. Simms thinks family is one of the most important things in life. "My Parents made sure that everybody was at the dinner table. Everybody was there for holidays, birthdays. Whatever occasion, it was just always together. So, I've done that same thing with our kids." Mr. and Mrs. Simms are very lucky that all three kids are close by and they get to see their grandkids every day. Mr. Simms told me that if a family is there in the good times and bad times they will learn those lessons and that is important.

"You come into the world with nothing, and the only thing you go out with is your name."

Mr. Simms's favorite thing about being a Dad is watching his kids try and accomplish everything they do in life. He loves to see them succeed. Being a Grandpa to Hudson and Madison brings him great joy. When I talked to him and asked his favorite thing about being a Grandpa, his face just lit up. He said he loves to play with them, watch them grow up, and see all the little things like how Madi has started crawling and pulling herself up. Just getting to spend time with them.