It is no secret that this school year has brought us some new additions to the Westlake Wildcats-- heck, we’ve even got a new Vice Principal! We’re very lucky to have them in our school, but we don’t know much about them, don’t you agree? Well, let’s learn: new health teacher, Mr. Jesse G.; new global history teacher, Mr. Patrick Henderson! 

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First up, our new Health teacher, Mr. G!

 

Why did you want to become a teacher?

“I think I thought about it for a long time, my career started as an athletic trainer…” 

 

Believe it or not, Mr. G’s initial career plan was not to be a teacher! He recalls how many people around him saw things in him that perhaps he had not seen: his innate ability to connect and form strong relationships with his players and his passion for teaching kids how to navigate life. 

 

“Somebody had come up to me and said, ‘Hey man, you should really think about being a teacher’...” 

 

The encouragement from others alone was his driving force for starting his life as a teacher. In addition to this, Mr. G knew he always wanted to be a coach; most school districts where he lived required that coaches must already be teachers. No matter the reason, we are grateful he made the choice to become a teacher and become a Wildcat!

 

What is your first memory as a child of knowing what you wanted to be when you grew up?

To much surprise, Mr. G wanted to be a firefighter growing up! 

“When I lived in the Bronx, my mom used to take me to the firehouse down the street every Saturday.” 

 

He recalled how his parents were acquainted with some of the firemen, and how they’d let a young Mr. G ride in the firetruck. 

 

“And I think that also kinda helped me kinda understand that whatever career I got into, I wanted it to be a career where I’m helping people.”

 

His second epiphany came in tenth grade, after he was injured during a football game. His athletic trainer, Craig, helped nurse him back from the injury quicker than most-. Mr. G cites that moment as the instance he fell in love with athletic training: “It’s the type of job that allows you to help people get better, and help people see the positive side of things.”

 

“This is a question specifically for you, I remember you saying your favorite actor was Denzel Washington. He’s done a lot of roles… he’s gone from the family man to being the insane criminal; Why is he your favorite actor?”

 

“I think he’s just a very wise man, to be honest with you.” 

 

It wasn’t necessarily Washington’s acting that caught Mr. G’s attention, but Washington as a person. Washington is a man of faith and an advocate for passion. Passion for what you do in this life. 

 

He recalls a quote from Washington which resonated with him deeply: “You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.” The notion being that no matter what you’ve achieved or gained materially in your life, you cannot take it with you when you die. 

 

“Every memory, every desire, every goal in life, go after it. ‘Cause when you die, you don’t want a U-Haul to be following your hearse.”  He wants to relay to his students, and as one of them, I can definitely confirm this. “Do what you wanna do because you love to do it.”

 

If younger you saw who you are now, what would he think?

“Wow. [laughs] Probably ‘Wow’.” 

 

After facing much adversity throughout his life, such as his closest friends passing away at a young age, Mr. G didn’t know how to deal with his emotions. A lot of time, he didn’t know if he would make it to where he is today. He didn’t see his father as much as he would’ve liked to growing up, due to how much his father would work. This taught Mr. G about work ethic, and he was always grateful for all his dad did for him and his siblings. 

 

“Everything my dad did for us when we were younger was to give us a better life.” 

 

His father’s relentless work ethic always stuck with him, and he has a profound admiration for the man.

 

“Every stage in your life demands a better version of yourself.” 

 

He talked about his time in highschool, how people were always doubting him. He claims he was a sillier student, and often looked at it as a joke. To see himself where he is now proves all the “doubters” wrong.

 

What was your favorite class in high school?

“Believe it or not, it was Health.” 

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In addition to Health, Mr. G really enjoyed Physical Education. He found they were the most interesting classes to him because he had good teachers. Someone who was always into sports and understanding the human body, it was fitting those were his favorites. 

 

Mr. G also tells how he also enjoyed Biology quite a bit, as it also provided a better understanding of how the body works. 

 

“I wish Health was taught how it is now… we didn’t talk about emotions and feelings, it was more so physical health.”

 

What extracurriculars did you participate in growing up?

Mr. G explains he was “really just a sports kid,” something to be expected from the football coach himself! In middle school he tried out band and chorus, but found that football and baseball took up a majority of his time. Mr. G tells an interesting story about his school’s first “fanclub.” 

 

“It was.. Technically a club. We were called the ‘Cornwall Crazies’, so we were like the ‘fanbase’...  so we started a club, like a student section-- like at games. We would get students to come out to games, we had people try out to be in the club.” If you were loud, and could make some “weird noises,” you were in the Cornwall Crazies. 

 

“[Kind of like, pseudo-cheerleaders?] Yes! We all had matching shirts and t-shirts and stuff. We started the Cornwall Crazies and believe it or not, it’s actually still a thing.”  

 

You heard it there folks! Mr. G orchestrated his fellow classmates to form a student section made to unite the school, and even nearly a decade later it still remains intact. As anyone who’s been in Mr. G’s class knows, he’s always been one to bring people together. To this day, the Cornwall Crazies have a Twitter and Instagram page, and Mr. G tells of how the club was so big, they had their own travel bus during away games! One school bus for the Cornwall Dragons and one for the Cornwall Crazies!

 

Next up, new Global History teacher, Mr. Henderson!

 

Why did you want to become a teacher?

“I’ve known I wanted to be a teacher since I was.. about fourteen or fifteen,” Henderson admits. 

 

He has always loved history, learning about it and talking about it. His biggest inspiration were the history teachers he had growing up; Mr. Henderson says he was “very lucky” because he had a variety of good teachers. His favorite parts of history are Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, as well as the history of Japan. He considers himself to be more of a World History person more than U.S. History, which he describes as being very “hit-or-miss.”

 

What is your first memory as a child of knowing what you wanted to be when you grew up?

At around five, Mr. Henderson wanted to be a baseball player. This plan continued until he was around twelve, “when [he] realized [he] wasn’t very good at baseball.”

 

Personally, I’d love to see Mr. Henderson throw a pitch; I believe he could! Around his teens is when he cites his desire to teach got a hold of him. 

 

“I wrote my college essay… about wanting to be a teacher.” 

 

He can’t remember specifically when he decided teaching was the profession he’d follow, but if he had to pin it down, it was the fact he loved learning and reading about history alone.

 

If younger you saw who you are now, what would he think?

“I think younger me would be.. Happy. … I think he would tell me I need to exercise or take care of myself a little more [laughs].” 

 

Between having the job he’s always wanted, having a lovely wife and a dog, even coaching football at Bronxville and lacrosse at Stepinac; he believes his younger self would definitely be proud.

 

What other grades have you worked in? Would you consider teaching in middle school, if you haven’t?

Besides coaching, Mr. Henderson admits he has never taught middle school kids. However, he has taught all four levels of high school, and says he enjoys teaching freshmen the most. If asked to, he says he would teach in the middle school; but he enjoys working with high schoolers. 

 

When asked why he prefers freshmen-- the kids or the content-- Mr. Henderson’s answer is simple: “Both. … The content I enjoy better, and I think the freshmen aren’t quite as ‘cynical’ yet [chuckles].” 

 

He claims juniors and seniors are a bit more difficult to work with, as they aren’t as ‘amazed’ or engaged in the subject, more so thinking about their future and what lies ahead of them. 

 

“I think they’re more concerned with their futures really than the distant past.” 

 

To any upperclassmen reading, what do you think? Is this true? Or is there still some hope for Henderson?

 

Do you have a sentimental object from your childhood?

“My grandmother bought me my first copy of Harry Potter, and my grandparents signed it.” 

 

Mr. Henderson has been holding on to this book since he first received it at nine years old. This reminded me of my grandmother, whom I purchased an italian translation of Harry Potter for back when I was really into it. This reminded Mr. Henderson of a story about his wife: “When we travel, I buy my wife a copy of one of the Harry Potter [books], usually in another language.” 

 

He describes the three translated books he bought for his wife, one in Italian, one in Irish, and one in German! His wife is a writer who previously published children’s books before working for a magazine, something she and Mr. Henderson had bonded over.

 

What was your favorite class in high school?

As you can probably guess, Mr. Henderson’s favorite subject was (drumroll please)... History! “I actually loved Biology. I really liked science. Except for chemistry and physics, I couldn’t handle the math.” 

 

Something I know all too well. Isn’t that interesting, Mr. G and Mr. Henderson both having an interest in Biology as a second place to the subject they currently teach! The concepts of chemistry and Physics still intrigue him, specifically quantum physics; but the math is really what gets him. Don’t worry, Mr. Henderson, me too.

 

What extracurriculars did you participate in growing up?

“My parents had a rule that we were not allowed to come home after school.” 

 

Growing up as one of five kids, second oldest to be exact, Mr. Henderson’s parents made it a point to get their kids involved in extracurriculars. Mr. Henderson describes his experiences with all sorts of activities: football, hockey, lacrosse, baseball, golf, swimming, yearbook club, the school newspaper (perhaps we should rope him in as a new Westlake Word editor…), 

 

“I was in the chess club for like a week, Boy Scouts for a month, I tried everything.” 

 

Mr. Henderson admits this is a rule that he will most likely use in his own household once he has children. Although he claims “I just think my parents didn’t want us all at home at once! [laughs],” I think it is very important to try different hobbies and see what sticks. There is too much that life has to offer for someone to never make the most of it.

 

After all that has been said… 

 

And how about that! A former-Cornwall Crazy and a Renaissance-Man are our newest Wildcats, and I couldn't be happier! Mr. G and Mr. Henderson were both very wonderful to sit down with, both amazing to talk to and interview. I hope you all enjoyed learning about these new teachers!