Cathartic. That is the best way I can describe what it is like to have Mr. Campbell’s class. The room feels as if it welcomes students with its whiteboards lined with works of art made by students dedicated to the history they learned in that very classroom to the left wall is gifted with its own artwork made as a tribute to the many classes of the past, wordlessly conveying inside jokes and passions otherwise lost to time, it holds a sense of community and belonging unlike that of any other classroom. On the front wall awaited a smartboard beaming its luminous white glow throughout the calm, warm room. Next to the board, Mr. Campbell, adorned with a red button-up, shimmering glasses, and his impeccable beard, prepares his lesson.

It is near impossible to name someone who teaches history more engagingly or enthusiastically than Mr. Campbell.

Mr.Campbell had quite an interesting path to get to Ludlow High School. He actually came here as a student and learned from some of the same teachers still working in this school today. After he graduated from high school, he went to college to become a lawyer, but he quickly realized he “found the job to be uninteresting and miserable.”

That is when he got the idea to become a teacher since he figured “being a teacher is something much more engaging than being a lawyer; you spend more time engaging with your class and less time on paperwork.” With that, he found his calling and worked at multiple schools until he eventually returned to LHS, where he has now been working at for five years.

Aside from teaching, Mr.Campbell has many hobbies, including “Playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends, playing video games during my free time.” Most of all, though, he “really enjoy[s] playing magic the gathering.” He has an almost endless list of hobbies that make him easy to relate to and find a common interest.

History usually ends up being a bland, cut-and-dry kind of topic. Even when it isn’t hard, it can feel like an endless monologue about who did this and why they did that. It ends up boiling down to the repetitive task of learning important terms, memorizing them, and then repeating them. 

This is where Mr. Campbell shines. He puts great effort into making sure his lessons are “fun and engaging for all students” which leaves his lessons to be anything but monotonous. His way of teaching and his passion for doing so turned history into my favorite subject.

Each day in Mr. Campbell’s class brings a unique experience from the last. His lessons range anywhere from enthralling class discussions about history to fun games that bring students together while helping them learn the most they can about history. When asked why he teaches through different methods, he said he “thinks that teaching in the same way can get boring and that teaching different lessons in different ways can engage students more with what I’m teaching” It seems that students agree with his take on teaching.

“His lessons are fun and interactive,” according to Nick Alexio, one of the students currently in his class.

It’s not just the way he teaches that grasps the attention of his students; it’s his way of tying history into the present that makes his lessons so memorable. Stemming from his desire to “teach [my] students that history is all connected and that each event we learn about affects the world we live in today,” he brings an intrigue to learning that few other teachers do in their classes.

 In his class, he and his students can all find themselves lost and engaged in in-depth conversations about history that other teachers would bore students talking about. These conversations go anywhere from the past to the present, mixing in quality information with entertaining humor and discussion surrounding each topic. He does this because he “tr[ies] to teach in a way that’s fun”  because he “feels that students will have a better understanding of the lesson that way than they will if they are bored.” 

These conversations are the heart of the class, and as Adam Connors, a student of Mr. Campbell’s last year, said “He got his job done with his lessons and was able to even side-track a little to keep the whole class involved.”

 It’s Mr. Campbell’s way of including the whole class in genuine conversation that makes him such an enjoyable teacher to have. He has been called “My favorite teacher sophomore year” by Adam, who added that he “always looked forward to going to history class” thanks to him. Nick has also said Mr. Campbell is “a great teacher” and that “his lessons are fun and interactive.”  Mr. Campbell is thought of fondly by both former and current students because he truly understands how to involve everyone in his discussions.

As someone who also had his class during sophomore year, I personally feel that Mr. Campbell is one of the all-around best teachers I have ever had the pleasure to learn from. He was not only able to effortlessly engage students but was also always ready for any questions they may have had about history. 

No matter how much someone was struggling with the lesson, he was always patient with them and helped them until they fully grasped the lesson. He was always able to be entertaining and helpful at the same time, often making jokes with students while teaching. He always has a lighthearted attitude and friendly demeanor that makes him easy to connect. 

Mr. Campbell said that if there is anything his students can take away from his class, it is that they learn “to think critically about the information they receive from others and what goes on in the world around them” because he feels that “it is so important to think critically so that we do not fall for misinformation and end up repeating the mistakes of the past.” He added that “the most important part of teaching history is to make sure that we learn from the mistakes of the past so that we can do better in our lives.”

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If I’m able to get my students to go out into the world applying critical thinking to the information they receive, then I’ll consider myself successful as a teacher

— Ethan Campbell