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Behind the Desk: An Interview with Mr. Watkins by: Anagha Aravind
Q: What got you into teaching?
Mr. Watkins: That's a good question, so I actually went to law school originally. I wanted to be a sports agent, and when I got to school and I started doing all that, I kind of saw that it wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be, so I practiced for a little bit, and then I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do because I knew that wasn't the right fit for me, and I knew that I liked reading and writing, and I wanted to keep working with people, so becoming a teacher seemed like a natural thing.
Interviewer: So, you got your law degree, and then you decided you didn’t want to do it?
Mr. Watkins: Yep, I had big ideas of being a hotshot sports agent, and then I found out being a sports agent is not like you see on TV. Contracts and tax law and stuff like that—it's all trusts and estates, and it really wasn't what I went in there thinking it was going to be. So, I started doing some family and property law, and I knew that it just wasn't going to be a long-term fit. Then I started teaching, and I love it.
Interviewer: Do you regret the time you spent going to school for law?
Mr. Watkins: Honestly, if I could, I would go back to school; the only thing I regret are all the student loans.
Q: What’s your favorite part of being a teacher?
Mr. Watkins: I think it's that every day is a little different, so I get to come in and see you guys; you guys come in here, and just every single day there's something new. I'm always on my feet, always talking to people, interacting, and honestly, the day flies by. Working with you guys speeds things up. I get to see you guys from your freshman year to your senior year and sometimes hear from you guys afterward and see the growth and how education benefits you all.
Q: Okay, the next question was suggested by a student: What’s your favorite restaurant?
Mr. Watkins: My favorite restaurant? Oh my goodness, in, like, New Hampshire?
Interviewer: Like, ever.
Mr. Watkins: Okay, so I live in Manchester, so I would say my favorite restaurant right now would be a little restaurant called Industry East. A very small hole in the wall in Manchester. Just a few food items. Go out to see people eat a little bit and have fun.
Interviewer: What kind of food do they serve?
Mr. Watkins: Yeah, they've got everything. Well, not everything. They've got a large selection of interesting hot dogs, actually. So they have, like, a crab rangoon hot dog that's delicious and some other options that you don't usually see, so a little out of the ordinary.
Interviewer: Yum.
Q: What do you think about the batch of students you’re teaching this year, and how do they differ from years past?
Mr. Watkins: Every year is a little different; there are different things that come up, different things that are happening outside of school that affect that as well. I don't think there's a huge change year to year, except for I think the further we've been removed from covid, the more beneficial it has been. When I first started teaching here, things were a little crazier. People were just coming back, getting kind of used to what it is like to be a student. Now everyone's kind of got back into the routine of things, so we've kind of reached this point now where it feels like normal school again, which has been great.
Q: Why do you think you were the most voted? What do you think you do differently than other teachers?
Mr. Watkins: That's a hard question. I like to be involved in a lot of things, so I'm a coach for Unified Sports, and I meet a lot of kids through that. I teach freshmen, sophomore, and senior levels in English, so I see a lot of different kids from all the different ages and grades and all that, and then I also volunteer, go to the dances, and go to different after-school things. I'm also involved in student voice, so I got a lot of interaction with a lot of students outside of just in a classroom setting, so I think that probably adds to it.
Interviewer: So you think you just put in the effort to get to know students and just be around?
Mr. Watkins: Yeah, as much face time as possible. Students know who I am and are comfortable with me, so I think that helps.
Q: So, I noticed that you mentioned hot dogs earlier, and one of the questions a student suggested I ask is: Why do you love hot dogs so much?
Mr. Watkins: Easy, delicious, cheap—what's there not to like? I just like hot dogs. It's a character flaw, but one that I embrace.
Q: Who was your favorite teacher as a kid?
Mr. Watkins: The teachers who are remembered most are probably my high school teachers, and in particular, I had one teacher who was my physics teacher who was just so interesting. He was the nicest guy. He ran ultra marathons, and he tried to make everything as hands-on as possible, and he was just always doing whatever he could to make sure that we understood things. He was always there when we needed help with stuff, and I just remember it was nice to have someone there, this really smart guy who was always there, and you could just tell he was there because he liked helping kids succeed. You can usually see that in somebody, so that's why I liked him.
Interviewer: Do you think he and other teachers like him had any influence on how you teach today and why you teach today?
Mr. Watkins: Yeah, without them I probably wouldn't think as highly of education, but through my experiences with them, I saw the value of being educated, and I probably strive for more things than I would have otherwise, and looking back on that, the hope is I could have at least a fraction of the impact that he had on me.
Q: What has been your best memory teaching at North?
Mr. Watkins: So last year was the first group that I've seen from freshman to senior year. So that first group that I saw, you know, bright-eyed, coming in freshman year, well, not so bright-eyed with COVID, but then seeing their growth throughout the years and then being able to see them walk the stage and graduate was a very rewarding experience.
Q: I heard you travel a lot, so where have you traveled? Where do you want to travel next?
Mr. Watkins: I like to go on at least one or two big trips every year. That's kind of the thing that I like to do with my time and money, so last year I went to Columbia and Rome, and this year, next month over Christmas and New Years, I'm actually going to Vietnam. So I'm really excited about that. I want to see whatever there is to see out there and experience everything there is to experience.
Interviewer: What’s your favorite place you have visited so far?
Mr. Watkins: Cambodia. About 10 years ago, I went to Thailand and Cambodia. Just everything about the place, the people, the food, the history, just everything about it was great.
