Mr. Peck is a senior year teacher and has been teaching at Schroeder for over 10 years. Currently, he teaches Citizens in Action, as well Law and Justice and Economics. He attended St. Bonaventure University for Political Science, where originally he was in the mindset that he would pursue something in that realm of politics, perhaps even working in Washington. His “teacher epiphany” was not yet apparent. When in his senior year of college, his mom gave him the idea of education, which piqued his interest. He realized he felt comfortable and really enjoyed St. Bonaventure University enough to want to test out the waters and stay to earn his teaching degree—the university’s program affirmed that teaching was the right path for him.
Peck always separates his school and home life so he can create a well-needed divide. Being a teacher for so long has allowed him to create a better separation. In his down-time, Peck likes to read, spend time with his dog and wife, hit the gym and enjoy watching movies! Being relaxed is all a part of being a better teacher, he says. With the variety of people he is meeting with everyday and the decision-making, multitasking is key in order to keep up with all the work.
Peck describes teaching as an art form—all his classes are different so they all have different values from one another. He continuously tries to grow with his students and make connections that are long-lasting. Reading the room is another necessary skill he points out as it builds relationships and forces him to confront uncomfortable truths. On the other hand, he points out how much more difficult teaching was after COVID: how reading the room, as well as relationships teachers and students created together were really impacted by the pandemic.
When asked about teaching solely seniors,Peck said he wouldn’t trade it for anything else. He finds this age range and grade level really helps him utilize all his skills. Although the first day of school can be a bit difficult without knowing any previous students for the most part, he finds his involvement in clubs can really help out with introducing himself to more kids in different grade levels. Peck is currently an advisor for Link Crew, and a coach for modified football.
He finds it best to never truly say goodbye to students but instead say “see you later.” He talked about one event where he was at a holiday party and saw a student from 12 years ago. He recognized him completely out of the blue and it was a moment that illustrates people still remember their teachers and that being an educator does make such an impact on a teen’s life.
One unique thing about Peck’s class is that you can always count on him to throw in a Mr. Rogers quote to the lesson to help showcase how important his messages are to life. When asked about how he found Mr. Roger’s valuable enough to start incorporating him into his day-to-day class, he said it all began in 2020. After doing some research about the famous television host and author, and really enjoying the messages Mr. Rogers lived by. Peck started to really shift his priorities as an educator at a time when test scores, and the amount of content weren’t the most important thing, but rather the safety and comfort of a kid in the classroom.
While Mr. Rogers embodied these principles, and Peck can’t follow these ways of teaching to a T, he can try his best to learn from him and make it his own. Peck finds this quote by Mr. Rogers—“I like you just the way you are”—to be very important and a good mantra for him to follow. Whether you recognize Mr. Peck as a trusted staff member or have him as a teacher, you can be assured that—like Mr. Rogers—he likes you “just the way you are.”
