How much do students really know about their teachers? Beyond planning lessons and writing instructions on whiteboards, many things go on in the private lives of every one of them. Whether it be some interesting past hobby, or a current unexpected talent, the teachers have lots of things to do outside of school.
One hobby that may be a little unexpected to some is playing and hosting trivia. Social studies teacher Erik Ihde hosted trivia night at Southpaws for around eight years. During his time hosting, Ihde would find himself thinking about possible trivia questions all throughout his day.
“It became my way to fill in the little gaps of time,” Ihde said. “Sometimes I’d be driving and I would think, ‘That’d be a good trivia category’ and I would think of some questions in my head, and when I stopped I would type them in my notepad [app].”
Another teacher with an interesting history full of an unconventional hobby is math teacher Ashleigh Johnson. Before she had kids, Johnson participated in local Olympic weight lifts and competitions. She finds that perseverance is an important part of lifting weights, but it also applies to the classroom.
“The idea of getting better each day and trying to be a little stronger, as a math student and as a weightlifter, is a key thing,” Johnson said.
Being a DJ, although somewhat random, is the endeared hobby of science teacher Lucas Risinger. Risinger often performs at weddings, and he recognizes that in order to be a good DJ, it requires feeling the ‘vibe’ of the room in order to understand how people feel about the songs being played.
“One of the main skills a DJ has is trying to spread your awareness out to the whole room to feel what everyone is
feeling,” Risinger said, “and to try and make the energy flow with them as best as possible.” He relates this awareness to how he handles his classroom.
“Teaching is the same way, you have to be aware of what each of your students is feeling and thinking at all times, and try to match their energy or shift it to what you think you need it to be.”
Emily Bell, a special education teacher, loves to sing. She has been singing for as long as she can remember and loves how it makes her feel. But what she most enjoys is the ability it gives her to express herself.
“It’s not like, ‘Hey I want to be up front’, it’s more like ‘I have something to tell you, and this is how I’m gonna tell you,’” Bell said. “It’s like communicating how I feel about something.”
Bell loves music more than anything, but she also has some regrets that have come from this talent, one being American Idol.
“I dreamed in the past about being on American Idol, too old for that now [though],” Bell said. Even with such regrets about her past, she still finds joy in her current life, and has advice for others that she wishes she could have told herself.
“If there’s something that you love, chase it because you’ll never know where it could have taken you. That’s one of my biggest regrets in life, I will never know, if I had chased [my dream] where would I be?” Bell said. “I am so happy I am a teacher here and I am thrilled about how my life has turned out, but if you have something that you love, it’s totally worth chasing.”
Local Trivia Host – Erik Ihde
“Being a history guy, I think [liking trivia] is a natural draw. Around 12 years ago my friends found a trivia night at Applebee’s and we started a trivia team, and we just pulled in a bunch of teachers. There was probably half a dozen of us, and we won a lot because we’re a bunch of nerds. They stopped doing trivia in Albany so we had to go to Corvallis and it was difficult. When Chris Reese opened Southpaws, I mentioned it to [former teacher] Todd Zimmerman, that it’d be fun to create trivia, and he told me about this new restaurant, [Southpaws] and ‘I know they’re looking to get business up during the middle of the week’. I talked to Chris and told him I was too busy, but I would do it for six weeks, I ended up doing it for 7 and a half years. A lot of people when they have like five minutes of spare time will scroll on their phone, I would just come up with trivia questions. It was always a fun thing to do on the side, I haven’t done it for a year or two. It [took] a lot of time, my favorite part [was I] became connected with my kids, they both got jobs and are teaching so I just decided ‘I’ll pack it up’.”
Local Olympic Weightlifting – Ashleigh Johnson
“[Olympic weightlifting] has two components. The snatch, which goes from floor to overhead, and the clean and jerk is a clean and then a jerk over the head. My husband was an intern at the Sports Performance Center for OSU [Oregon State University], and we started doing a club there that worked out and did some regional competitions. It was a lot of fun to do something where you could lift big heavy weights, it was a great exercise and a fun competition. [My mindset was] to do the best I could. It didn’t really matter what weights I did because it’s not something to take super seriously, just trying to be better than I was before. I really like the idea of persevering and getting better each day, like as a math student and a weightlifter. I remember one meet I did in Seattle, we got to meet an Olympian [Melanie Roach], she was one of the few Americans that actually get to go to the Olympics for weightlifting. They only send three females and three males, so you have to be amazing to go, so she was really cool.”
Local DJ – Lucas Risinger
“In high school I was forced to do a mentorship project, and I ended up doing it with this guy in town who was a music producer. I would go to his studio every night and that’s where I learned how to record music and start making hip-hop beats. I just got exposed to different musics and setup, and [I was] always told I had good music taste. [I’ve DJ-ed] at three or so weddings, and for those usually the couple has songs they wanted played, and then they give me kind of a creative license. I usually start working on a playlist a month or two before, and get it [how] I want in order and practice my transitions. My first wedding I did was one of my best friends’ weddings, and I went from one song to another and people actually cheered. I’m not used to people cheering for a DJ, and that was a real special feeling for me, it got me invested and wanting more.”
Local Singer – Emily Bell
“Third or fourth grade is when I really started singing. I started singing around the house and at church, I got involved lots and lots. I was in a choir at Linn Benton, it’s like Pitch Perfect but with guys and girls and I loved it. By the time I went to Oregon State I was married, and there wasn’t as much time for it, but I would continue to sing at church and do special services and things. I love Broadway. I’m obsessed with Les [Miserables], I saw it [around] eighth grade and I was like ‘This is what I want to do’, on the opposite end I love folk. The acoustic, tight harmonies, that’s the other genre I love to sing. I feel like it’s a way I can best express myself, to get people to understand my perspective on things is singing. I don’t necessarily do it for performing, but at the same time I do because I never get to anymore. I sing at home a lot just to [be] myself again. It’s more like communicating how I feel about something, and it helps me connect to others.”
Outdoor Activities – Kelli Backer
Backer rated her hobby a 4 out of 5 on the “Dream Job” scale
“[Giving up volleyball] was hard, but it’s a mindset thing for me. I’m finding joy in golf and fishing, and these are things I still can do. Cancer is a bummer deal, and life happens and there are things that are out of our control. I still love volleyball, [but] I have adopted these other activities and found I enjoy these things.”
Dance – Robyn James
James rated her hobby a 5 out of 5 on the “Dream Job” scale
”I dance in a group, and it allows me to step out of whatever is happening in my life. I feel peaceful dancing and trying to create that feeling in my workspace is really important to me. I’ve learned that teaching something I love helps me grow as well, so I would probably be teaching [others dance].”
