By Skye Manion, Anna Gimilaro, and Maddie Mattheson
Known to many as a very laid back and sarcastic English teacher, Mr. Myers is certainly one of Westborough High School’s most interesting characters. Starting in 1998, he jokes that his 17 years of teaching at WHS is “too long”. Instead of a heartfelt, emotional backstory explaining why he became a teacher, Mr. Myers simply states that it’s an easy job, he gets summers off, and he doesn’t have to be very smart. In addition to the ease of the career, Mr. Myers enjoys seeing his students develop throughout the year in his class. Some students respond well to his stark humor and impromptu teaching style, and although others don’t, Mr. Myers is nevertheless well-liked throughout the school.
Mr. Myers was born in California and spent a short part of his childhood in Kansas, but the majority of his time growing up was in the South Shore area of Massachusetts. During high school, Mr. Myers enjoyed English because he was “better than the teachers”. He continued his education at Bates College, graduating in 1992 with a Master’s Degree in Philosophy. He then attended Boston University for graduate school. Because of his eccentric personality, it was not surprising to learn that prior to teaching, he was a mime in Harvard Square and a Velveeta cheese taste tester.
Most likely to be seen hiking or caving in his free time, Mr. Myers’ favorite outdoor adventure was visiting California’s Yosemite National Park. Along with exploring the wilderness, Mr. Myers is an amateur bass guitarist who plays in a calypso music band with fellow English department teachers: Mr. Perryman, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Huse. If he weren’t an English teacher, Mr. Myers exclaims that he would love to spend his life as a house husband, making it a point that he would never do the laundry.
In his 17 years of teaching, some of the most noteworthy memories include snarfing juice out of his nose onto a student and mistyping a syllabus from “quizzes and tests” to “quizzes and testies”. The countless pranks and mocking of Mr. Brown by the Perryman-Myers power duo stand out as some of his favorite memories in the WHS community and emphasize how much he values the friendship of his co-workers. His favorite annual traditions include the English department’s Hand Turkey Day in celebration of Thanksgiving and Festivus, an alternative winter holiday originating from an episode of the hit comedy show, Seinfeld. Because of his admiration for the book Moby Dick, Myers always looks forward to the yearly field trip to the whaling museum with his accelerated junior class after their completion of this lengthy tale.
Contrary to the popular belief of many teachers, Mr. Myers feels that students should not receive excessive amounts of homework. He argues that teachers should “actually follow the handbook so students have time to live life and to do things for their personal enjoyment”. He usually assigns nightly reading of the current book so that the curriculum can be completed by June, but refrains from requiring overwhelming amounts of at-home work. His teaching method reflects this philosophy as he does not have a plan and figures things out on a whim. With grading, he explains “If I like it, you get a B”. Instead of flowery ambitions for the school year, he blatantly affirms, “The time for making goals has passed.” He just wants to survive until June.
Mr. Myers’ atypical million dollar fantasy features retiring early, buying the big house across the street from the high school, and spending his days reclined in lawn chairs with Mr. Perryman as they throw waterballoons at the busses and laugh at the students. This dream epitomizes his outspoken and mordant sense of humor that distinguishes him from your average teacher and contributes to many students’ admiration for him.
